• Some of the maize bought by Food Reserve Agency at Kabompo main depot in Kabompo District.
Picture by Creavat Chituta/NAIS

By HELEN ZULU –
THE Zambia National Farmers’ Union (ZNFU) says the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) has bought more than 23,000 metric tonnes of maize from around the Copperbelt Province worth more than K32 million.
According to the ZNFU website, FRA had bought more than 23,000 metric tonnes of maize from around the Copperbelt Province worth over K32 million out of which K8,200,000 had been paid to farmers so far leaving a balance of K24,320,600.
The ZNFU said the farmers had expressed concern over alleged irregular payments by the FRA, saying they could no longer plan properly for the next farming season because payments were uncertain.
Meanwhile, some millers on the Copperbelt have indefinitely suspended maize buying, a move that has left many farmers stranded with the commodity.
Chimanga Changa Milling in Ndola stopped buying maize last week, attributing the move to lack of space in their warehouses.
Another Miller in Chingola also suspended buying of the commodity early this week, saying the firm was overwhelmed by current supplies and could not consume beyond the capacity of the plant.
The ZNFU said on its website that some farmers were suspicious that the millers could be intending to cause desperation among the farmers so that they could force a reduction in the price of maize.
In another development, the farmer’s body said farmers in Mkushi District had complained about alleged delays in the issuance of water permits by the Water Resource Management Authority (WRMA).