FRA to buy 300,000 maize bags in Isoka

THE Food Reserve Agency (FRA) targets to purchase 300,000 by 50 Kilogram bags of white maize in Isoka in 2017/2018 crop marketing season, District Commissioner Evenwell Mutambo disclosed yesterday. Mr Mutambo said in an interview yesterday that the FRA had so far bought more than 166,000 from all the 23 satellite depots dotted across Isoka in the 2017/18 crop marketing which was progressing well despite a few challenges. ‘’Generally, the crop marketing exercise in Isoka district is progressing well, though there are some isolated cases of shortage of empty grain bags in some satellite depots,’’ Mr Mutambo said Mr Mutambo said the 300,000 by 50 kilogram bags target by FRA in Isoka were few compared to approximately 739,820 bags produced by farmers this this year. Isoka increased maize production from 633,240 X 50 Kilogram bags in 2016/2017 to 739,820 in the 2017/2018 season, Mr Mutambo said. He said the shortage of empty grain bags had forced farmers to spend more days at the depots. Mr Mutambo advised the FRA district marketing officer to ensure that satellite depots stocked enough empty bags so that farmers did not spend nights at the depots. And Mr Mutambo has commended FRA for introducing a mobile satellite depot in Mpandwa area. He said the mobile satellite depot would help avert some of the challenges farmers in far flung areas were facing in transporting their maize to depots. He cited Mpandwa and Muyeleka which are situated about 18 km from Kapumbu satellite depot, as some of the distant areas which should benefit from the mobile depot.