By Scoop Reporter
THE Food Reserve Agency (FRA) will during this year’s marketing window purchase more than 1 million metric tonnes of maize from farmers.
According to the Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU) Friday brief, this comes at the back of a policy directive by President Edgar Lungu for the agency to double maize purchases from the traditional 500, 000 metric tonnes.
President Lungu says the increase in maize purchases has been influenced by the unpredictability and uncertainty in the weather patterns as experienced in the not-so-far-away seasons as climate change has come to bear.
The President says that he has since instructed the Ministry of Finance to fund the FRA on time so that the Agency can mop up the maize on time.
He says the agency will buy maize starting with the areas that will meet the right moisture content and has instructed the FRA to provide a schedule to the Minister of Finance so that a payment plan is triggered.
