By KENNEDY MUPESENI –
THE Food Reserve Agency (FRA) says it is ready for the 2015/2016 crop marketing as it has enough empty grain bags, scales, twine, black-sheet, tarpaulins and other marketing requisites.
Public relations officer Daniel M’soka that FRA has prepositioned marketing requisites in all provincial centres and that it was in the process of awarding supply and delivery tenders to various local companies to supplement materials that were on high demand.
“Among marketing requisites FRA will procure in addition to current reserves are 20,000,000 empty bags, 35,000 balls of bailing twain, 30,000 kilograms of aluminium phosphide and 36 pieces of 30 by 30
metres PVC tarpaulins,” Mr M’soka said in a statement yesterday.
Preparations include procurement of field vehicles, routine maintenance of storage facilities countrywide, servicing of platform scales and the impending recruitment of staff.
More than 6,000 youths and women will be engaged across FRA network of over 1,200 satellite depots nationwide as auxiliary or support staff.
FRA collaborates with the Zambia Bureau of Standards (ZABS) and the Zambia Weights and Measures Agency (ZWMA) to acquire the highest standard of marketing materials, and ensure correct calibration or reading of platform scales.
“As attested by small scale farmers themselves, FRA scales are more trusted as farmers are not cheated because the scales are as sized by Government duly appointed Agency, namely, the Zambia weights and Measures Agency (ZWMA),” M’soka said.
During the marketing season, for example, all FRA scales bear certification of ZWMA and there are periodic independent and in-house audits to avert fraud.
He said FRA deliberately preferred awarding business tenders to local companies to help them build capacity and competitive edge, create local employment and sustain jobs in local industries.
Mr M’soka said barring unforeseen bottlenecks in the marketing exercise, this year would mark the third consecutive marketing season that FRA would open its marketing effectively and efficiently prepared for farmers.
