FRA’s maize purchase progresses well
Published On September 22, 2015 » 1539 Views» By Administrator Times » Features
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•FOOD Reserve Agency executive director Chola Kafwabulula talking to farmers at the FRA satellite depot at Kamulaza in Chipata.

•FOOD Reserve Agency executive director Chola Kafwabulula talking to farmers at the FRA satellite depot at Kamulaza in Chipata.

By JULIUS PHIRI –

EARLY this year maize production was forecast to decrease to 2,618,221 tonnes from 3,350,671 tonnes, a reduction of 21.86 per cent.
The national average yield rate for maize dropped from 2.36 tonnes per hectare to 1.75 tonnes.
This represented a reduction of 26 per cent for both small and medium-scale farmers which have recorded an average maize yield rate of 1.68 tonnes per hectare, while large-scale farmers recorded an average maize yield rate of 4.36 tonnes per hectare.
Announcing the crop forecast to the nation, Agriculture Minister Given Lubinda said despite the decrease in production, the planted area for maize and other crops increased compared to last season.
Maize increased by 5.3 per cent to 1,494,451 in the 2014/2015 season from 1,419,326 hectares in the last season.
Mr Lubinda said the usage of fertiliser on maize by farmers increased by 12 per cent in 2014/2015 compared to last season.
“The use of fertiliser and hybrid seed went up due to the increase in the quantity of fertiliser and seed distributed by Government through the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) as well as the continuing extension efforts to improve crop production management practices,” he said.
In May 2014, the Government reported that the country achieved a record harvest of 3.4 million metric tonnes of maize for the 2013/2014 cropping season which was a 32 per cent increase over the previous year’s harvest.
In Zambia, maize is the primary staple crop and over 90 per cent of smallholders depend on it for food security and income.
That year’s record bumper crop was partly attributed to good rainfall patterns, but it was also made possible through the government leadership on market-friendly policy in the agriculture sector, which it had adopted with support from Feed the Future.
Initially, during the ongoing maize marketing season, Food Reserve Agency (FRA) which is mandated to buy maize from farmers was projected to purchase 500,000 tonnes of maize stock however, the target is now projected to reach 800,000 tonnes.
This means that there will be an increase of 300,000 tonnes from the early announced figure of 500,000 metric tonnes target.
FRA executive director Chola Kafwabulula said during a media tour in Eastern Province to inspect grain storage facilities and monitor maize buying that the agency would buy 300,000 tonnes more this year than the previous years.
“We were supposed to buy 500,000 tonnes initially but now we have instructions to buy beyond that and our estimation is that we will be able to reach about 800,000 tonnes,” Mr Kafwabulula said.
He said FRA would continue buying maize to meet its new target which has been enhanced by an influx of farmers who were selling their produce to the agency.
Mr Kafwabulula said since the increase in the purchase price of maize from K70 to K75, more farmers were selling their grain to the FRA than to the private sector.
He added that the FRA’s objective was to ensure national food security and not to compete with the private sector.
He said farmers were at liberty to sell their harvest to any other buyers.
As at September 20, this year, FRA has bought 540,069 tonnes of maize translating to 10.8 million bags of maize in the country an increase of 40,069 from the initial targeted tonnage.
This means that the latest purchased of maize from farmers across the country amounted to K810 million.
Mr Kafwabulula said the highest purchase was in Northern Province where the FRA bought 110,000 tonnes followed by Luapula with 66,000 tonnes and Western Province was still the least with a low tonnage.
Mr Kafwabulula said the Ministry of Finance was expected to release about K300 million to pay the farmers who had not been paid.
He said FRA had a huge mandate to run the marketing season, adding that stringent measures had been put in place to avoid the problems that were experienced last marketing season where the agency encountered a lot of challenges with regard to the payment of farmers.
He said in Eastern Province, the FRA has managed to buy 75,000 tonnes of maize from the farmers.
In Petauke, Mr Kafwabulula said the FRA was committed to ensuring that farmers were paid on time and had secured funds to be disbursed to districts.
Mr Kafwabulula said FRA would maintain the two-week window in which to pay farmers who supply maize to the agency and that all logistics would be put in place to secure the maize.
He said FRA wants to ensure that all the grain purchased is properly secured to avoid wastage through pest infestation, hence the need to inspect the storage facilities.
Mr Kafwabulula said the FRA was buying grain from farmers in far-flung areas and it is important for the agency to not only pay on time but to also ensure that the grain was taken to storage facilities and properly secured.
“We are not allowing the bags to accumulate. The maize is being transported to our depots as quickly as possible. This is being done to avoid wastage through infestation. We can’t buy maize which is worth millions of Kwacha and allow it to go to waste because of improper storage,” he said.
Mr Kafwabulula said the grain has to be bought from farmers before the onset of the rains and that FRA was working with local businesses to transport the maize to its depots which are secure.
In Chipata, he said the agency had in the last two years reduced the wastage of maize to one per cent.
Mr Kafwabulula said the reduction in the wastage of maize was because of the investment plans which the agency had embarked on in the country.
“The FRA has in the last two years reduced the wastage of maize by one per cent and we have worked on a mechanism to ensure that the commodity does not go to waste,” he said.
And Chipata District Commissioner Kalunga Zulu commended the agency for putting in place measures to reduce the wastage of maize.
In Lundazi, Mr Kafwabulula was saddened that people have encroached on land belonging to the agency.
Mr Kafwabulula said it was unfortunate that there was serious encroachment on Mgubudu in Chipata and Lundazi’s Lumezi satellite depot.
He said the encroachment was posing a lot of security risks to the satellite depots.
“It is sad that there is a serious land encroachment by communities on FRA land. This is not good and we need to find ways and means on how we can stop these encroachments by maybe having a roundtable meeting with the farmers,” he said.
All in all, Eastern Province Permanent Secretary Chanda Kasolo expressed happiness with the way the FRA was buying maize from the farmers in the province.
Clemency Mwanza from Makhungwe village of Chief Mwanjabanthu expressed happiness with the pace at which the FRA was buying maize.
He said most of the farmers were not facing problems like it was in the past.
Audrey Jere, who is Chankhanga Satelite depot clerk, said 13,000 bags of maize had been bought since the marketing season started on August 17, this year.
Aliboo Transport Limited, the company which has been contracted by the FRA to transport the maize is happy with the quality of the road network in Lundazi District.

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