FRA closes crop marketing season after buying over 2m tonnes of maize

The Food Reserve Agency (FRA) has officially wrapped up its 2026 crop marketing season, marking a historic milestone in the country's agricultural sector after procuring over two million metric tonnes of Grade A white maize. Announcing the closure during a media briefing in Lusaka, FRA Board Chairperson Suresh Desai revealed that since the opening of satellite depots across the country on July 29, the agency experienced an unprecedented surge in deliveries. The remarkable turnout reflects both robust production output and the heavy reliance of local smallholder farmers on government-backed procurement channels to secure guaranteed markets for their harvest. Mr. Desai explained that by the close of the official marketing exercise, satellite depots would cease the registration of new farmers, transitioning entirely into an administrative and processing phase to handle stocks already within the system. Current data indicates that an estimated 400,000 metric tonnes of maize remain deposited at various satellite depots awaiting formal processing, alongside roughly 300,000 metric tonnes held by farmers who have expressed a strong desire to sell to the agency. Factoring in these unquantified reserves, the FRA projects total cumulative acquisitions for the season to hit approximately 2.7 million metric tonnes. The unprecedented volume of maize purchases underscores a significant rebound in national grain reserves, providing a crucial buffer for national food security following years characterized by erratic weather patterns and severe regional droughts. Agricultural experts have pointed out that timely inputs distribution and favorable localized rainfall in key farming blocks contributed immensely to the bumper harvest. For rural farming households, the billions of kwacha injected into the rural economy through these purchases offer much-needed disposable income, bolstering livelihoods and stimulating commerce across various provincial districts. However, the massive inf