NFRA purchases 57,000 metric tonnes of maize

TANZANIA: THE National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA), Sumbawanga Zone Office has purchased 57,000 metric tonnes of maize valued some 62.4bn/- in 2023- 2024 purchasing season.

Manager of the NFRA’s Sumbawanga Zone which serves Rukwa and Katavi regions, Mr Marwa Range said 46,000 tonnes of grains worth 41.4bn/- was purchased in Rukwa Region alone during the 2023- 2024 purchasing season.

Mr Range said initially the food agency targeted to purchase 27,000 tonnes of maize when the purchasing season started in June 2, last year but until August 14, last year, the agency had purchased 28,000 tonnes of maize at the cost of 2.5bn/-.

“Thanks to bumper harvest realised by farmers which enabled the agency to purchase about 57,000 tonnes of maize during the 2023- 2024 season at the cost of 62.4bn/-,” he added. According to Mr Range, in 2023-2024 purchasing season, the food agency purchased 1,025 tonnes only in Rukwa Region due to poor harvest.

Mr Range further explained that during 2023-2024 maize purchasing season NFRA paid some 1.5bn/- directly to local government authorities in the region.

Equally, Mr Range said the agency has established a new system of issuing what is known as ‘forward contracts’ to Agriculture Marketing Cooperative Societies (AMCOS) and individual farmers who are ready to sell the grains to the agency at the competitive market price immediately after harvesting. He said that such system will be operational from 2024- 2025 maize purchasing season.

“I’m encouraging farmers to sell surplus food to NFRA at a good price to avoid exploiters who buy directly from them at cheap prices” he stressed.

“The advantage of the new system of forward contracts is that farmer will have access to the available reliable and competitive market prices as well as access loans from financial institutions” he added.

He said until February this year, 45 primary cooperative societies and five farmers have benefited from the newly introduced system.

“It requires the farmer to have not less than 200 tonnes of maize in order to qualify for the aforementioned forward contract” he explained.

Adjourning the 11th session of the 12th National Assembly last year, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa said the government through NFRA set aside 320bn/- to buy grains in effort to maintain food security in the country. The premier urged citizens at family level to spend their farm produce including maize and rice with caution to avoid hunger.

“I therefore direct the Minister of Agriculture to supervise procurement of grains produced on time and efficiently from the allocated money,” Mr Majaliwa said.

He said the government has been improving food storage infrastructure by prioritising warehouses and cold room constructions, to preserve both non-perishable and perishable food such as cereals as well as vegetables and fruits respectively .