Maravi

FRA spends K253.1bn on maize purchase

FRA spends K253.1bn on maize purchase
By Fridah Zinyama
Sun 22 Nov. 2009, 04:00 CAT

THE Food Reserve Agency has spent about K253.1 billion in purchasing a total of 196,671 metric tonnes of maize during the just ended crop marketing season which closed on November 14, 2009.

And FRA executive director Dr Anthony Mwanaumo said the crop purchasing exercise has closed on a successful note despite the Agency entering the market late due to high moisture content.

During a stakeholders meeting in Lusaka yesterday, agriculture and co-operatives deputy minister Albert Mulonga said it was pleasing that the FRA had successfully concluded this year’s crop marketing season.

“FRA also managed to purchase 788 metric tonnes of paddy rice valued at K1.2 billion in this crop marketing season,” he said. “It is heartening to note that there have been no complaints of late payments in this year’s crop marketing season which shows that stakeholders had done a good job of putting everything in place.”

Mulonga said FRA was providing a vital market access to the locationally disadvantaged small scale farmers and was completing the value chain started through the Fertiliser Support Programme, now Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP).

“The more than K254 billion put in the pockets of small scale farmers will go a long way in improving the livelihoods of these farmers and equally important, enhance their capacity to afford to pay their beneficiary contribution to the FISP, thus further positively contributing to next year’s production,” he said.

Mulonga said FRA, as one of the key players in the market, had a task of ensuring that increased production by farmers was matched with market access and ease of transactions.

“Now that the crop marketing season has come to a close, FRA should ensure that the purchased crop is moved to safe storage in good time,” said Mulonga.

And Dr Mwanaumo said the marketing season had closed on a successful note due to the valuable input from all stakeholders involved in the exercise.

Labels: ALBERT MULONGA, ANTHONY MWANAUMO, FRA, MAIZE

posted by MrK @ 5:09 AM