FRA ROLLING OUT VARIOUS INTERVENTIONS TO COMBAT FOOD INSECURING IN THE DROUGHT AFFECTED AREAS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

Here are the highlights;

✅The Food Reserve Agency (FRA) has assured the public of continuous supply of maize to the drought affected areas of the country through the implementation of its strategic relief programmes aimed at making maize available to vulnerable households in the affected areas.

✅This is to actualise emergency response measures following the declaration of a drought emergency by His Excellency, President Hakainde Hichilema.

✅The Agency (FRA) will continue with the implementation of Community Sales Programme in drought affected areas in order to make maize available to the vulnerable communities.

✅In this regard, stakeholders responsible for identifying vulnerable households are reminded to be ensuring that they only submit genuine beneficiaries to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA).

✅However, in order to sustain the programme for a longer time, FRA has moved its selling points to satellite depot locations to allow communities easily access maize, with each household only permitted to buy one 50 kilogramme bag per month at K330.00.

✅There shall be no unnecessary movement of maize from one beneficiary district or identified community locations to the other and this is aimed at preventing fraud, theft, trading among others.

✅Movements of Maize shall only be undertaken for redistribution from surplus to deficit areas and the affected communities are advised to avoid panic buying in order to sustain the available maize stock from the National Strategic Food Reserves.

✅The Agency will closely work with the local leadership, Zambia Police Service and other Government wings to ensure there is no abuse of this well intended intervention.

✅In addition to the Community Sales Programme currently being implemented, other strategic interventions aimed at ensuring sustained national food security are being implemented and these include:

i. the Home-grown School Feeding Programme,

ii. maize sales to hospitals,

iii. hospices,

iv. boarding schools,

v. correctional facilities,

vi. the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit among others.

✅The Agency is also selling maize to Zambia National Service and Zambia Correctional Services aimed at making affordable mealie meal readily available on the local market and these measures will continue being implemented until when the situation normalises.