To respond to the drought situation the country is facing, some farmers who were contracted to deliver Maize to Food Reserve Agency (FRA) have so far delivered 862,256 50 kg bags.
The agency targets to purchase a total of 146,000 Metric Tonnes under the early maize programme by end of June this year
FRA Public Relations Coordinator John Chipandwe said the bags of Non-Genetically Modified(GMO) grade A white maize was delivered to FRA by commercial farmers who were contracted to grow maize under the early Maize programme.
“Under this special programme, fifty-five (55) commercial farmers were contracted to grow maize,” he said in a statement.
Mr Chipandwe said the early maize programme, initiated by government through the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) and FRA as a recipient, is aimed at supplementing other efforts of replenishing national strategic food reserves to ensure sustained national food security.
He further said the programme is anticipated to boost maize production by encouraging commercial farmers to engage in both rain-fed and irrigated early maize production.
Mr. Chipandwe said the strategy leverages irrigation and mechanised drying technologies to produce maize during lean periods of the year.
He also said the initiative operates under a contract-farming model, providing farmers with assured prices and quality standards along with incentives such as cost-reflective pricing.