By Wezzie Gausi:
The National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA) says it will buy some maize produced by commercial farmers under the Mega Farm Programme coordinated by the Mega Farms Unit in the Ministry of Agriculture.
The Mega Farm Unit contracted about 200 farmers to participate in this year’s mega farm initiatives by growing maize.
Farmers under the mega farms were given an arrangement that the government will provide off-taker markets after the harvest.
In an interview, NFRA Chief Executive Officer George Macheka said its markets are ready to buy maize from farmers who are under the mega farms.
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He said this is happening to ensure that NFRA has enough stock in the reserves for any eventualities.
“The procurement of maize will be on a first-come-first served basis until we exhaust the funding. Payment is immediately upon delivery.
“The agency will further contract traders to supply specific quantities depending on the availability of more funding for maize purchases. An announcement to this end will be made in due course once more funding becomes available,”Macheka said.
Agricultural policy expert Horace Phiri said it is good news that farmers under mega farms will have markets.
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He said the apportioning of the money that has been available will be necessary on this matter.
“It would be necessary that NFRA should be prudent in using the money provided to them. It is our wish that the huge chunk of money should go towards the actual buying rather than being spent on administration matters,” Phiri said.
Recently, the government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, revealed to have identified 864 medium and large-scale farmers across the country for the implementation of mega farms initiatives.
In a statement published by the Ministry of Agriculture, the ministry, through its Mega Farm Support Unit, called for expression of interest to anyone with landholding above 20 hectares of which people had to apply.
