KAVINDELE PRODS FRA TO START BUYING MAIZE

By NOEL IYOMBWA THE Food Reserve Agency (FRA) should quickly announce the floor price of maize to stop farmers from selling their grain cheaply due to desperation, former Vice President Enock Kavindele has said. Mr Kavindele said it was unfortunate that some desperate farmers were selling maize at unprofitable prices and urged the government and …

KAVINDELE PRODS FRA TO START BUYING MAIZE
By NOEL IYOMBWA THE Food Reserve Agency (FRA) should quickly announce the floor price of maize to stop farmers from selling their grain cheaply due to desperation, former Vice President Enock Kavindele has said. Mr Kavindele said it was unfortunate that some desperate farmers were selling maize at unprofitable prices and urged the government and FRA to announce the floor price and start buying the grain. “It is unfortunate that some farmers have decided to sell maize at unprofitable prices when Government is about to announce a reasonable price for a 50-kilogramme bag of maize. “FRA should move fast so that farmers are not exploited by some traders who want to buy maize cheaply,’ Mr Kavindele said. Some desperate farmers in Muchinga Province were reported to be selling maize at K65 per 50 kilogramme way below K120 which was announced by the government for last year’s marketing season. The Isoka District Cooperative Union said that farmers were forced to accept the low offer because the FRA had delayed to start buying the produce. Some briefcase buyers have taken advantage of the situation by buying at a cheaper price. Cooperative Union manager Bernard Sichilongo said an invasion of foreign buyers in the province was a danger to the country’s food security at both household and national level.