CSPR Warns FRA Failures Risk Undermining Zambia’s Food Security
Economic and operational difficulties at the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) are putting the livelihoods of Zambia’s small-scale maize farmers at risk, according to the Civil Society for Poverty Reduction (CSPR).
In a statement to journalists, CSPR Executive Director Isabel Mutembo Mukelabai said farmers are facing prolonged delays in maize purchases, inconsistent payment schedules, and shortages of grain bags.
She warned that while President Hakainde Hichilema’s directives of 23 August 2025 addressed some immediate concerns, they will not be sufficient without “deep institutional and operational reforms” within the FRA.
“The FRA is mandated to guarantee national food security and provide a structured market for staple crops such as maize. Yet its current operations continue to disadvantage smallholder farmers,” Ms Mukelabai said. She cited political interference, procurement delays, and inadequate logistics as persistent barriers.
She welcomed the President’s recent directives, describing them as “timely and commendable”, but cautioned that structural reforms were urgently required to prevent recurring challenges.
CSPR has recommended several short-term measures, including ensuring the availability of grain bags at all depots, expediting farmer payments upon delivery, and creating effective communication channels to prevent exploitation by middlemen. The organisation also called for greater engagement with farmer associations and civil society to improve transparency.
For the medium to long term, Ms Mukelabai urged a comprehensive review of FRA operations to align them with Zambia’s agricultural growth policies. This, she argued, should include a shift towards a market-oriented maize marketing system, stronger logistical planning, and the depoliticisation of crop procurement.
“Food security and economic development in Zambia depend on building an efficient, inclusive, and transparent maize marketing system,” she said. “Smallholder farmers must be recognised as key economic actors whose contributions are rewarded fairly and consistently.”
CSPR has urged the Ministry of Agriculture, the FRA, and other stakeholders to work collaboratively with non-state actors to address the structural bottlenecks, and to open a wider policy dialogue on reforming the FRA to meet its statutory obligations as Zambia’s strategic food reserve agency.
