FRA Opens All 1,749 Depots as Maize Buying Begins

The Food Reserve Agency (FRA) has opened all 1,749 satellite depots nationwide and has begun purchasing maize from smallholder farmers, with payments promised within two to three days of delivery.

FRA Vice Board Chairperson Richard Lisimba reports that every depot had been inspected and was operational, with bags and sieves already in place. He said he had flown to Mansa and Kasama to verify readiness, where staff confirmed they could begin trading immediately.

Lisimba said the Agency had spent the past month registering farmers for mobile money accounts with Zamtel, MTN and Airtel, alongside bank accounts and e-wallets, so that all crop payments could be processed digitally. He described last year's queues at banks, which left some farmers waiting up to a week, as unacceptable treatment of the people who grow the nation's food.

Farmers whose details do not match their National Registration Cards may face delays, he warned, urging accuracy at the point of delivery. Deliveries are also linked to the fertiliser e-voucher system, allowing farmers to collect inputs for the next season.

On pricing, Lisimba noted maize has risen from roughly K180 to K347 under the UPND government.