FRA grapples with storage problems

FRA grapples with storage problems
By Florence Bupe in Mongu
Sun 26 Sep. 2010, 22:40 CAT

FOOD Reserve Agency (FRA) executive director Dr Anthony Mwanaumo has said grain storage has remained a major challenge for the agency, especially in rural areas. Speaking when he paid a courtesy call on Western Province deputy permanent secretary Mwangala Liomba on Thursday, Dr Mwanaumo said FRA had acquired tarpaulins to help address the shortage of storage facilities in the country.

He said the available storage facilities in rural areas were inadequate to contain the bumper harvest of maize realized in most parts of the country.
Zambia produced a total of 2.7 million metric tonnes of maize during the 2009/ 2010 farming season.

“Storage is proving to be a challenge considering the 2.7 million metric tonnes of maize that the country has produced. We are procuring additional tarpaulins for districts like Shangombo to help address the shortage of storage facilities,” he said.

Dr Mwanaumo said the agency was also trying to move maize grain from rural areas to areas that had larger storage shelters before the onset of the rains. He said this could only be achieved with the cooperation of transporters, whom he assured of timely payment for their services.

“We want transporters to partner with us to ensure that maize is moved to safe storage before the onset of the rains. We have already received adequate resources to pay transporters for their services,” he said.

Dr Mwanaumo also assured farmers that the agency would pay out K130 billion per week until the outstanding debt of about K600 billion was cleared and every farmer paid.

FRA has so far purchased 643,000 metric tonnes of maize and 837 metric tonnes of paddy rice countrywide, valued at K836 billion and K1.2 billion, respectively.
A total of 609 metric tonnes of rice has been purchased from Western Province alone, representing 72 per cent of the total national rice purchases.

And Liomba urged FRA to enhance their presence in outlying areas which he said were productive but lacked market access for their produce because the agency was absent.
He further called for sensitisation of farmers on market availability for their produce.