News

FRA sales have led to the availability of maize on the market and stabilized the commodity’s market price with the Agency offering a competitive price.

The Food Reserve Agency (FRA) has sold 4,545 tones (91,000 x 50Kg bags) of maize at K70, 000 to the market and rural communities. The collaboration between the District Commissioners’ office and FRA has helped to identify critical needs in the provinces. These requirements are then passed on to the Agency for release of stock. Demands for rice have also been received of 909 tonnes (22,725 x 40Kg bags).

The Food Reserve Agency has bought one hundred and ninety eight thousand six hundred and thirty (198,630) metric tonnes of Maize at a cost of two hundred and fifty eight billion two hundred and eighteen million six hundred and ten thousand kwacha (K 258,218,610,000) and eight hundred and three (803) metric tonnes of rice at one billion two hundred and four million five hundred thousand kwacha (K1, 204,500,000) in the 2009 purchasing period of the 2009/2010 Marketing season.

The Food Reserve Agency will close the marketing season at end of business today 14th November, 2009.

The Food Reserve Agency has extended the marketing season to 31st October 2009 from 30th September, 2009 to allow farmers to deliver their maize given the delays at the start of the purchasing exercise.

In the last 7 days the agency has disbursed k44 billion to pay the small scale farmers, thus the total amount of funds disbursed to pay small scale farmers to-date is k70 billion, leaving a balance owing to our esteemed small scale farmers of k34 billion, which should be cleared once an additional k40 billion is released by government this Friday.