Govt should not politicise FRA – oppostion
By Thandizo Banda
GOVERNMENT must seriously reprimand the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) board of directors and management for their decision to start buying maize for this year’s crop marketing exercise from the southern part of the country, some opposition political parties have demanded.
Speaking to The Mast in separate interviews, New Congress Party (NCP) and Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) condemned the decision.
The parties said the arrangement had the potential to be misunderstood with some people thinking that Southern Province was being given preferential consideration at the expense of other regions.
On Sunday FRA executive director Justin Chunka announced that the organisation would on June 29 begin buying maize from farmers from the southern part of the country.
Chunka said the northern part of Zambia would experience a one-week delay because of the high moisture content in the grain.
But NCP president Pastor Peter Chanda said FRA should not be seen to be giving preferential consideration to some regions at the expense of others.
And FDD spokesperson Anthony Chibuye demanded that FRA rescind the decision to start this year’s maize purchasing exercise from Southern Province to avoid misunderstandings.
Chibuye advised FRA to instead immediately open all established markets across the country without giving preference to any particular province.
“It is very absurd to hear this insensitive and careless statement from FRA which has the potential to divide the country and demoralise farmers.
“We question the rationale behind this move given that Minister of Agriculture Mtolo Phiri recently revealed government’s lack of financial capacity to mop all maize from farmers. Today, FRA is telling us that they want to start buying maize from the farmers in Southern Province. Is FRA not a national agency? Are farmers from Northern, Luapula, Eastern, Copperbelt and other provinces not deserving? This is very sad. Zambians can now clearly see how tribalism and nepotism have now been entrenched in institutions like FRA,” Chibuye said.
He noted that Luapula, Northern, Eastern and Copperbelt provinces had recorded higher maize harvests than Southern Province.
The excuse of moisture content was not true.
“We know that President Hakainde Hichilema and the United Party for National Development want to abuse State agencies like FRA for their political expedience ahead of the elections next year, which we will not allow,” he said.
NCP president Chanda said there was no logic in FRA’s justification in staring maize buying in Southern Province because there was empirical evidence of last year’s regional rain activity and forecast.
“Unless they want to tell us that Southern Province is not part of Zambia. We are aware that the claimed reduced moisture content for maize in Southern Province is not different from other provinces…..Or is it because Southern Province is their political stronghold and they would like to reward their faithful supporters ahead of the elections?” Chanda said.
FRA has cited higher moisture content in the maize in other provinces for its decision to begin buying the grain for strategic reserves from Southern Province.
