FRA Loaders of bags of Maize at the depot

14 December 2010, Mazabuka District, Zambia. The Food Reserve Agency (FRA) was established in 1996 as a semi-autonomous corporate body with responsibility for managing the National Food Security Reserve. To this end the FRA purchases grain at the beginnig of the marketing season for release at market value under the circumstances that the private sector is unable to meet the market demand for grain. Here a private contractor is moving surplus maize from a storage facility in Mazabuka district to a central distribution point elsewhere. The bumper crop of 2010 meant that the storage facilities were quickly filled and maize was stored outside, subject to pests and rain. THIS YEAR (2009/2010), ZAMBIA HAS PRODUCED THE HIGHEST QUANTITY OF MAIZE EVER RECORDED IN THE COUNTRYÕS HISTORY. THE LAST TIME THE COUNTRY CAME CLOSE TO THIS HIGH PRODUCTION WAS IN THE 1988/89 SEASON WHEN 1,943,219 METRIC TONNES OF MAIZE WAS PRODUCED. A NUMBER OF GOVERNMENT PROGRAMMES AND INTERVENTIONS SUCH AS THE PROMOTION OF CONSERVATION FARMING, IMPROVED EXTENSION DELIVERY TO OUR FARMERS AND THE IMPROVED FARMER INPUT SUPPORT PROGRAMME (FISP), AMONG OTHERS, HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE INCREASE IN MAIZE PRODUCTION. THE AVERAGE YIELD FOR MAIZE IN THE 2009/2010 SEASON INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY BY APPROXIMATELY 34 PERCENT TO 2.2 METRIC TONNES PER HECTARE FROM 1.7 METRIC TONNES PER HECTARE THAT WAS RECORDED IN THE 2008/2009 SEASON. THE PERCENTAGE CONTRIBUTION BY SMALL AND MEDIUM SCALE FARMERS TO NATIONAL MAIZE PRODUCTION IN THE 2009/2010 SEASON IS 89 PERCENT. Source: MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE
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CO-OPERATIVES, Zambia