MATHEWS MALAZIKA
Lusaka
GOVERNMENT has assured farmers who supplied maize to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) that they will be paid progressively, with the bulk of the outstanding payments expected next month following the release of K14.7 billion by the Treasury.
Acting Minister of Agriculture Situmbeko Musokotwane said the funding will be sufficient to settle outstanding payments owed to farmers for maize and rice delivered to the agency.
In a ministerial statement to Parliament yesterday, Dr Musokotwane said the FRA has purchased maize and rice worth approximately K18.7 billion, of which K4.1 billion has already been paid, leaving an outstanding balance of about K14.6 billion.
He said the agency has purchased 2.7 million tonnes of maize from 1,850 buying depots nationwide at a cost of K18.738 billion.
“This will bring the total stocks of maize held by FRA to 4.1 million metric tons, comprising 1.42 million metric tons of carry-over stock from previous seasons and 2.7 million metric tons purchased in the current season,” he said.
Dr Musokotwane said the agency has also purchased 1,304.41 tonnes of rice valued at K9.7 million.
He said Government remains committed to settling all outstanding payments as funds become available and appreciates farmers’ patience during the process.
To improve stock turnover and generate revenue, Dr Musokotwane said FRA is pursuing opportunities in regional markets to sell surplus maize.
“To date, the agency has secured sales contracts for a total of 1.7 million metric tons, of which 1.5 million and 212,000 metric tons are for the export and domestic markets, respectively,” he said.
The minister said revenue generated from the export programme will help sustain the national strategic food reserve and support future procurement obligations.
He assured the nation that Zambia remains food-secure until the next harvest, saying maize stocks in the national strategic food reserve are sufficient to meet the country’s requirements. https://enews.daily-mail.co.zm/welcome/home
