Farmers Not Happy with FRA Price

Lusaka, June, 2025 – ZAMBIAN farmers are not happy with the recently announce maize purchase price. The Food Reserve Agency recently announced a K340 per 50kg purchase price.

Farmers feel there is little difference between last season’s purchase price of K330 per 50kg bag of maize and the K340 saying the cost of living, the inflation rate and the high cost of inputs were not taken into consideration.

With inflation at two digit figures and the high cost of farming inputs, farmers felt farmers needed to be given a price that will help them recoup their losses from the drought and also help them plan for the coming season.

28449 POLTEK_KATALA TUBE FEEDER & WATER FOUNT 210 x 138 CTP

Farmers said they were aware that they are always being sacrificed to ensure the urban dwellers have cheap maize meal but cautioned that this tended to demoralize the farming leading to many to grow cash crops and stock feed.

Farmers expected the price of maize to be above K400 per 50kg bag of maize if they are to recoup their investment.

However, Government has informed the farmers that the FRA price is not a market determinant claiming that farmers are free to sell to the private sector who might be offering higher purchase price.

They have said the farmers can also explore foreign markets.

Zambia is still yet to receive the last batch of imported maize from Tanzania, which will further reduce the amount of maize that FRA can purchase from local farmers.