By KASONDE KASONDE –
THE Food Reserve Agency (FRA) in Mkushi in Central Province has run out of empty grain bags just three days after the agency opened this year’s crop marketing season.
Mkushi District Commissioner Luka Mwamba said the empty grain bags had run out in most of the FRA depots although some have a few remaining.
Mr Mwamba said there were 17 FRA depots dotted across the district and they all started buying the commodity on Monday this week.
He said that response from the small-scale farmers in the district was overwhelming as they were flocking to the depots in numbers.
Mr Mwamba said the 17 depots were given 6,000 empty grain bags each which are now adequate to cater for all the maize being purchased.
“I can confirm that the FRA in the district has run out of empty grain bags within the three days the buying commenced as they are overwhelmed and receiving more maize from the farmers than anticipated,” Mr Mwamba said.
He, however, assured the farmers that the district would in the next few days receive empty grain buys as he had written to the FRA provincial coordinator to send more empty grain bags from Lusaka.
Mr Mwamba said that with the increased floor price of K5 announced by President Edgar Lungu, the farmers were excited and were more than willing to sell their maize to FRA.
“Farmers in the district are happy with the announcement by the Republican President Mr Lungu to increase the price of 50kg maize bag from K70 to K75, which has motivated the farmers,” Mr Mwamba said.
Mr Mwamba said the FRA in the district was on point and attending to all the farmers who were bringing in their maize, and he was hopeful that the district would meet its target as there was enough maize in the area.