FRA ready for marketing season

The Food Reserve Agency (FRA) says its ready for the 2015/2016 Crop Marketing season.

FRA Public Relations Officer Daniel M’soka in a statement says the agency has enough Empty Grain Bags, Scales, twine, blacksheet, tarpaulins and other marketing requisites necessary for crop marketing.

Mr M’soka says FRA has prepositioned marketing requisites in all provincial centers and has awarded, or is in the process of awarding, supply and delivery tenders to various local companies to supplement materials that are on high demand.

He says among marketing requisites FRA will procure in addition to current reserves are 20,000,000 Empty Grain Bags, 35,000 balls of bailing twain, 30,000 kilograms of Aluminium Phosphide and 36 pieces of 30 by 30 meters PVC tarpaulins.

Mr M’soka adds that preparations include procurement of field vehicles, routine maintenance of storage facilities countrywide, servicing of Platform Scales and the impending recruitment of over 6,000 youths and women across its network of over 1,200 satellite depots nationwide as auxiliary or support staff.

He further states that barring unforeseen bottlenecks in the marketing exercise, this year would mark the third consecutive marketing season that FRA would open its marketing effectively and efficiently prepared for farmers.

Mr M’soka says in the past FRA was inadequately prepared for crop marketing and this resulted in farmers spending sleepless nights at satellite depots awaiting marketing requisites especially empty grain bags.