FRA has no capacity to market maize in Africa -FDD

The opposition Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) has observed that it thinks that the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) has no capacity to effectively market maize across the African continent.

Speaking during a discussion forum on “Maize Marketing in Zambia” organized Centre for Trade Policy and Development (CTPD) in Lusaka last evening, FDD Spokesperson Antonio Mwanza said the FRA cannot market maize effectively because it has no money.

Mr. Mwanza states that storage of the maize purchased by FRA from farmers is another challenge that the agency is still grappling with.

Mr. Mwanza adds that the country has been having bumper harvests since 2010 but government has failed to stabilize mealie meal prices which he says are escalating.

He says it is worrying that the FRA has continued to buy maize which he says they keep on failing to safely store it.

The FDD Spokesperson has since appealed to government to pay all farmers who supplied their maize to the FRA saying time is running for them to prepare for the coming farming season.

Speaking at the same event, Centre for Trade Policy and Development (CTPD) Agriculture and Trade Programme Officer Isaac Mwaipopo says his organization recently conducted a survey focusing on maize marketing in Zambia.

Mr. Mwaipopo says the aim of the survey was to find out about the impact of exporting and importing of maize in the country.

He says it was revealed that Zambia has the full potential to produce maize for consumption and export the surplus to neighboring countries without bordering on food security.