The Food Reserve Agency (FRA) is today expected to close the 2026 Crop Marketing Season, with a historic purchase of 2.7 million tonnes of maize and 100,000 tonnes of rice at a total cost of about K20 billion.
FRA chairperson Suresh Desai said that the agency had since the opening of 1,848 satellite depots countrywide on July 29, 2026, bought 2,031,518.99 tonnes of Grade A Non-Genetically Modified (GMO) white maize.
“This is a historic record purchase in less than two months of opening our satellite depots,” Mr Desai said.
Speaking at a media briefing in Lusaka yesterday, Mr Desai said that an estimated 400,000 tonnes was deposited at satellite depots, while 300,000 tonnes was estimated to be held by farmers who desired to deliver and sell to the agency.
Mr Desai said that it was in that regard that it was estimated that the agency would buy 2,731,518.99 tonnes of maize as it wound up and closed the 2026 Crop Marketing Season.
He said that following extensive consultations, measures that would be undertaken to ensure orderly closure of the crop marketing exercise, included a stock take and enlisting all farmers’ details and estimated quantities of crop intended for sale to the agency.
The FRA would also approximate the quantities of stock held at household level by farmers desiring to sell to the agency.
Mr Desai further said that by the close of business today, satellite depots would stop listing any new farmers in the register and the listing of the two categories of farmers mentioned would have been completed and the registers closed and signed off.
He said after the closure of the register, the agency would continue the processes of sieving, weighing, bagging and receiving of all the maize of the listed farmers to allow the agency concentrate on safeguarding and securing the huge stocks purchased at great cost and effort.
