By CHUSA SICHONE –
THE Food Reserve Agency (FRA) will on Monday start the purchase of maize and paddy rice.
This follows the FRA board’s special meeting held yesterday where it directed the Agency’s management to commence the purchase of maize and paddy rice on July 11, 2016.
FRA board chairperson Joe Simachela said in a statement in Lusaka yesterday that the Agency would buy 1,000, 000 tonnes of maize and 2, 000 tonnes of paddy rice, as directed by Government
through the Ministry of Agriculture.
“The FRA board at its special meeting held on Friday, July 8, 2016 resolved and directed management to commence the purchase of maize and paddy rice on Monday July 11, 2016,” he said.
“The FRA buying price, as earlier announced shall be K85.00 per 50kg bag of maize and K60.00 per 40 kg bag of rice,” Mr Simachela said.
Mr Simachela, however, said it was a standard requirement that the grain conformed to specifications of quality such as ideal moisture content of 12.5 percent, which some areas had already attained.
“Farmers are therefore, encouraged to bring their maize and rice to designated Food Reserve Agency depots nearest to them.
“Those farmers whose grain has not yet attained the ideal 12.5 percent are advised to start cleaning their grain in preparation for delivery to the FRA depots as soon as the ideal moisture content is attained,” he said.
He said all the 1,223 satellite depots which operated during the last marketing season would be functional this year.
Mr Simachela said the Agency would make payments within a space of 14 days from the date of delivery.
The Agency has signed contracts with the paying banks, through which farmers would be paid and all payments would be made over the counter on a first come first served basis.