Maravi

FAO urges quick export of excess maize

FAO urges quick export of excess maize
By Joseph Mwenda
Wed 03 Nov. 2010, 04:00 CAT

FAO country representative Noureddin Mona has advised the government to quickly export excess maize before the rainy season intensifies. Dr Mona observed that the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) did not have enough capacity to secure the record bumper harvest from being damaged.

“Another way of managing the safe storage of the huge harvest is to quickly find markets to sell off the surplus crop, in order to remain with quantities which can easily be stored within the existing storage facilities,” he said.

Dr Mona further noted that the existing storage facilities under FRA were not in good shape and advised the government to consider rehabilitating them as a long-term measure.

“Government, through FRA, has in terms of numbers, reasonably a good number of storage facilities. However, most of them are not in a good state to safely store the crops. Therefore, government, as a long-term measure, should continue rehabilitating and expanding the existing storage facilities.”

He advised the FRA to quickly negotiate for private storage facilities, especially in areas where tarpaulins had not yet been purchased in order to protect the crops from being damaged by the rains.

“The government, in addition to its own storage facilities, should also consider negotiating or arranging for the use of private storage facilities in order to accommodate this year’s unprecedented bumper harvest,” he said.

Dr Mona further said the government had not approached FAO for assistance as regards means of storing this year’s harvest. Zambia has recorded 2.8 million metric tonnes of maize this year, up from 1.8 million recorded last season.

Labels: FAO, MAIZE, NOUREDDIN MONA

posted by MrK @ 11:10 PM