RUKWA: FARMERS in Rukwa Region are expected to earn more than 70bn/- after selling their maize to the National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA), Sumbawanga Zone Office during the current financial year.
Recent statistics from the NFRA Sumbawanga Zone Office show that the agency has already bought 100,072.8 tonnes of maize over the past four months, from July this year. This figure surpasses previous maize purchasing seasons, including last year’s, when the agency only purchased 60,000 tonnes.
The NFRA’s Sumbawanga Zonal Manager, Mr Andrew Kanyika credited the success to President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s bold decision to raise the maize retail price from 600/- to 700/- per kilogram, which has led to a remarkable outcome for farmers in the region.
During her three-day working tour in Rukwa Region in August, this year, President Samia made the strategic move to increase the maize price and introduce a subsidy on maize seeds, a decision that was widely welcomed by farmers and grain traders.
In an interview with Daily News, Mr Kanyika revealed that the NFRA had spent a total of 69.9bn/- to purchase the 100,072.8 tonnes of maize from various purchasing centres in the region.
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He described this season as ‘historic’ attributing much of the success to President Samia’s price adjustment. Mr Kanyika explained that small-scale farmers, large-scale traders and cooperative societies were all encouraged to sell their maize to NFRA through the agency’s purchasing centres located in Mazwi, Kanondo and Laela in Sumbawanga District.
Additional centres include Mwimbi, Matai and Mkombo in Kalambo District, as well as Namanyere, Kasu and Ntalamila in Nkasi District.
To date, NFRA has already paid farmers a total of 48.3bn/-, with the remaining 21.8bn/- expected to be paid by the end of the month. In addition to the price increase, Mr Kanyika noted that the NFRA has adopted a new digital system to streamline maize purchasing operations.
The digital system has improved the efficiency of the purchasing process by enabling faster transmission of seller information to the relevant departments, allowing for quicker payment processing. “All our maize purchasing centres are now using the new digital system, which has greatly improved the efficiency of our operations and enhanced service delivery to farmers,” he said.
This new system has enabled quicker execution and payment authorisation, ensuring a smoother and more efficient process for both farmers and the NFRA.
