The Food Reserve Agency has urged farmers to prioritise household food security as they begin to harvest their crops and only resort to selling when they have excess produce.
FRA Public Relations Coordinator John Chipandwe says this is because national food security begins at household level.
Mr Chipandwe said farmers therefore need to store sufficient food for domestic future use before selling any of their produce to interested buyers.
He said in a statement that farmers need to reflect on the previous farming season and draw lessons from the drought experienced and stock up sufficient food for future use.
Mr Chipandwe said in as much as the country is likely to record a bumperharvest for the 2019/2020 farming season, farmers need to be wary of the changing climatic weather pattern hence the need to plan ahead and store enough food for their households.
And Mr Chipandwe has urged farmers countrywide to ensure that they negotiate for competitive prices and not sell their produce at giveaway prices as is currently being reported.
He said those interested in selling their produce to the Agency should take note that the Agency will enter the market once the moisture content of maize reaches the required moisture level of 12.5 percent.
Mr Chipandwe has commended farmers that have sold their crops to the Agency in the past for their contribution in making the country food secure as the Agency depends on small scale farmers to replenish its national strategic food reserves.
He said with the adequately stocked national strategic food reserves, the Agency is able to respond to national emergencies such as floods, drought, mealie meal shortages or high mealie meal prices.
Mr Chipandwe has since urged farmers play their role in helping Zambia become food secure by selling part of their excess produce to the Agency which is mandated to manage national strategic food reserves.
Excellent bumper harvests. We are working while bally is busy being a yo bally
put a competitive price
Bumper harvest this year heading into an election year. Also lots of water at Kariba dam snd Itechi-techi meaning no load shedding going into election year. The voters will be happy and the gods will be happy. The tribal demagogue will have nothing to campaign on.
Most Zambians don’t see corruption that you complain about with no evidence. They can’t eat your corruption. Many voters lead a simple life: just food and no load shedding, they are happy.
They don’t even care if I inflate a contract of a road and pocket $2 million. They won’t care if our President is filthy rich, unlike you Diasporas who wipe the backside of the old people and you come back here you can’t even afford a 2 bedrooms flat.
We will rule this country forever and get richer every year while you keep…
We will rule this country forever and get richer every year while you keep complaining. I will be here to rub it in your faces. Kz
@ KZ you are living in the past as most zambians in diaspora are doing very well and have genuinely aquired houses both abroad and in zambia too. What ever job they do it gives them money to put food on the table and secondly buy what ever the want without stealing from anybody like your self and your boss.Your self was just a miserable stinking, unkempt, simple laboratory assistant who cannot get a job in diaspora as you were under qualified and that’s why you always talk ill about the people in diaspora. We are very proud of being were we are and what we have achieved genuinely in diaspora that you cannot achieve your self unless you steal from GRZ .We do send a lot of money in Dollars and Pounds to our families and friends there in Zambia which your goverment can’t afford as…
We do send a lot of money in Dollars and Pounds to our families and friends there in Zambia which your goverment can’t afford as they have failed to look after them unless they were cadres like you.Retirees are dying without being paid their pension benefits because the treasury has been looted by people like you.Zambians in diaspora do generate alot forex for zambia of which you and your president are beneficiaries .We are not thieves like you who steal money from the goverment. A day will come when you will be asked to account what you stole whilst in government and your happiness will be shortlived. Indalama sha kwiba ututeke imfine, we cinkula we.
I doubt if FRA will be buy more than 200,000 tonnes, unless chiefs begin to intimidate their subjects. There’s no one that’s willing to sell to FRA because of late payments.