FRA's Maize price laughable- Chief Mweemba

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Chief Mweemba of the Tonga speaking people in Sinazongwe District in Southern Province has described the K65 Food Reserve Agency (FRA) maize purchasing price as laughable.

The Food Reserve Agency has announced that it will buy a 50kg bag of maize at K65 during this year’s marketing season an increase of K5 on last year’s price .

Chief Mweemba says the K65 the Food Reserve Agency proposed is offering farmers is too little.

He says this will negatively affect the farmers’ income who he says spent more money to buy farming inputs.

Chief Mweemba says that the farmers will not benefit anything going by the price the FRA is offering.

The Traditional Leader has since called on President Edgar Lungu to intervene in this matter and urge the Food Reserve Agency to reconsider the price its offering.


On Friday the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) has set its maize buying price for the 2018 crop marketing season at K65 per 50kg bag, an increase of K5 on last year’s price.

FRA Board Chairperson, Joe Simachela has told a media briefing that the agency will start buying maize and other crops on 1st August, 2018.

Mr Simachela says the agency will buy 500,000 metric tonnes of maize, 10,000 metric tonnes of soya beans and 2,100 metric tonnes of paddy rice.

Mr. Simachela says over K1.1 million has since been set aside for this exercise.

He says the FRA currently has 300,000 metric tonnes of maize in its storage facilities.

Mr Simachela says it has been agreed that within two weeks of supplying the maize to the agency, the farmers will receive their payments.

He states that the agency will be buying a 50kg bag of Soya Beans at K130 while a 40kg bag of paddy rice will be purchased at K70.

Mr Simachela says the agency widely consulted with relevant stakeholders in the sector before coming up with the price.

Speaking at the same briefing, FRA Chief Executive Officer, Chola Kafwabulula said the agency exported about 100,000 metric tonnes of white maize within t

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