FISP FARMERS FACE BAN; “Supply Maize to FRA or Lose FISP acess” – MTOLO
Agriculture Minister REUBEN MTOLO has warned that farmers who fail to supply a minimum of ten 50-kilogramme bags of maize to the Food Reserve Agency –FRA- risk being removed from the Farmer Input Support Programme –FISP- for the 2025–2026 farming season.
Mr. MTOLO says that participation in the FRA’s crop-buying programme has become a key requirement for farmers wishing to remain beneficiaries of FISP.
He says that the measure is part of Government’s broader effort to strengthen the National Strategic Food Reserve, which plays a critical role in ensuring food security, stabilising prices, and enabling effective emergency responses.
Delivering a ministerial statement in the National Assembly today, Mr. MTOLO said the FRA has already begun purchasing maize for the 2025 crop marketing season across all ten provinces.
He reiterated that the acceptable moisture content for maize remains at a maximum of 12.5%, warning that maize exceeding this limit risks spoilage and reduced shelf life, which could undermine the integrity of the national reserves.
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