Muchinga Province Permanent Secretary, Dr. Tuesday Bwalya, has expressed satisfaction with the progress of new storage infrastructure in Chinsali, confirming that construction by the Zambia Air Force (ZAF) is adhering to standard and is slated for completion by the end of October 2026.

During an inspection tour of the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) facilities, Dr. Bwalya assessed the ongoing construction works. While the structural frameworks for the facilities have been successfully completed to standard, the remaining scope of work involves the construction of external walls and roofing.

ZAF, serving as the contractor on the project, assured the Permanent Secretary that all necessary building materials have already been procured and delivered to the site. The military engineering unit indicated that operations are on schedule to meet the October deadline.

Once operational, the new storage infrastructure will significantly bolster the province’s food security capacity, providing a maximum holding capability of 15,000 metric tonnes of grain.

Meanwhile In a parallel briefing during the tour, FRA Regional Manager Robinson Nyambe updated the Permanent Secretary on the progress of the 2026 crop purchase exercise. Mr. Nyambe disclosed that the Agency has already purchased 98,000.00 metric tonnes of maize from farmers across Muchinga Province.

This robust purchasing activity has translated into direct economic empowerment for the local farming community, with over K280 million Kwacha already paid out to farmers in the Province.

The dual developments signal a positive trajectory for agriculture in Muchinga, combining immediate financial support for farmers with long-term infrastructure investment to reduce post-harvest losses and improve national grain reserves.

📸 by Mirriam Kumwenda