FRA TO START BUYING MAIZE 1st WEEK OF MAY
Written by Editor22 on April 17, 2023
By Prisca Lumingu in Mugubudu, Eastern Province.
The Food Reserve Agency-FRA board chairperson Kelvin Hambwezya has announced that it will start the procurement of maize for the 2023/2024 crop marketing season by first week of May 2023.
Mr Hambwezya said the agency wants to go on the market early following reports that some farmers have already started selling the unhaverested commodity to neighbouring countries.
“As FRA, we want to start buying maize during the first week of May, we have heard that the farmers have started selling the maize to our neighbors in Malawi. So in order to safeguard the country’s food security we have to ensure the move on the market on time,” He said.
Mr Hambwezya said this after touring the Mugubudu FRA depot in Chipata, Eastern Province.
He said the agency was ready and a favorable floor price would soon be announced.
Mr. Hambwezya said the agency had already put everything in place in terms of packaging materials and staff to commence the procurement of maize by 1st week of May, 2023.
“We are ready to start buying maize from the farmers from the first week of May, 2023, we are ready with packaging materials, the staff is ready,” he said.
And Mr Hambwezya said the agency was ready to offload an additional 80, 000 metric tonnes of maize to the millers in order to sustain the demand.
