The Food Reserve Agency has purchased more than 175,000 tonnes of maize at a cost of K228 billion while the crop marketing season which was extended for 30 days will come to an end this Saturday.

The purchase of the commodity represents a significant increase from the initial 110,000 tonnes target that the FRA had set to buy from small-scale farmers from money that was initially allocated in the national Budget.

FRA excutive director, Anthony Mwanaumo said the agency had purchased 175,330 tonnes of the crop while more than K200 million was expected to be spent between now and Saturday when the marketing season comes to an end.

Dr Mwanaumo, who is touring Northern Province to appreciate the marketing exercise, said when he paid a courtesy call on Northern Province Permanent Secretary Mwalimi Simfukwe on Monday evening that the agency still had enough money to get the commodity in the next few days.

He said out of the K228.2 billion which was disbursed, the agency had spent K228 billion while the remaining K200 million was expected to be given to farmers who would bring their commodity between now and Saturday.

The agency was glad that the province had continued to record high production of maize and hoped that the payment to farmers by the FRA would assist them prepare for the 2009/10 farming season.

He cited Kasama where the agency had purchased 50,000 tonnes of maize at a cost of K65 billion, representing 29 per cent of the total country purchase.

And Mr Simfukwe said farmers had to travel long distances to sell their maize and appealed to the agency to consider increasing the number of depots per district in the next marketing season.

The permanent secretary, however, said the extension of the marketing season by the agency from September to October reduced tension among the farming communities in the area as they were afforded extra opportunity to sell their produce.