• Government’s decision to rescind Food Reserve Agency (FRA)’s plan to reduce satellite depots will enable farmers to deliver their crops on time
• This is because farmers will no longer cover long distances to deliver their produce to various FRA satellite depots.
• Earlier decision by Food Reserve Agency of reducing satellite depots dotted across the country would have costed farmers in terms of transport.

National Union for Small Scale Farmers says government’s decision to rescind Food Reserve Agency (FRA)’s plan to reduce satellite depots from 1, 200 to 600 will enable farmers to deliver their crops on time.
Speaking in an interview with Money FM News, Union Executive Director Ebony Loloji said this is because farmers will no longer cover long distances to deliver their produce to various FRA satellite depots.
Mr. Loloji stated that the earlier decision by the Food Reserve Agency of reducing satellite depots dotted across the country would have costed farmers in terms of transport.
“There is need for framers to have easy access to satellite depots so that their maize does not go to waste at a time of delivery, “he said.
Yesterday, Acting Minister of Agriculture Makozo Chikote rescinded FRA’s decision to reduce satellite depots from 1200 to 600 which will be open to farmers for delivery of crops during this year’s Marketing season.
Meanwhile, Mr Loloji said that Small Scale farmers are not happy with the k160 which Food Reserve Agency announced it would be buying maize at for this year marketing season because of the high cost of production for maize.
“The increment in fuel affects transportation costs of produce to the market so all so when Food Reserve Agency is determining the floor price of maize, it is important to take all factors into consideration so that small scale farmers are protected who are feeding the nation”, he said.
Mr. Loloji disclosed that with this maize price, it is likely that private market players will take advantage of small scale farmers knowing that they will not go anywhere with their maize.