By Kelvin Chisanga
The 2026 crop marketing season presents the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) with both an opportunity and a major operational test.
Zambia is coming from a strong maize harvest base of about 5.1 million tonnes, meaning the priority should be to move quickly, pay farmers promptly and prevent post-harvest losses.
However, the effectiveness of FRA should not be measured only by the tonnage purchased.
We must also examine the integrity of the purchasing process with sincerity involved.
The principle of first-come, first-served must be strictly enforced. Where farmers report being bypassed by individuals with connections, middlemen or those allegedly offering unofficial payments to gain preferential access, such concerns should be taken seriously and independently investigated.
However, otherwise practices could undermine stakeholders’ confidence in public procurement and disadvantage genuine smallholder farmers.
At a procurement price of approximately K347 per 50kg bag, the financial stakes are significant. FRA therefore needs strong controls around depot operations, farmer registration, weighing, receipts, payment systems and stock reconciliation.
Technology can help. Digital registration, electronic payment trails and publicly displayed daily purchasing schedules can reduce opportunities for manipulation.
My view is that FRA must be both commercially efficient and institutionally clean. Farmers should not need political connections, personal relationships or unofficial payments to sell their produce.
The success of this marketing season should ultimately be judged by three things: how fast FRA buys, how quickly farmers are paid, and how fairly the system treats every farmer.
