January 10th Is Not On Time: Should Farmers Be Paid for the Losses Caused by Late FRA Payments?

Mitch Sikapizye
Dec 31, 2025
4 min read

The Government has assured the nation that all outstanding payments to farmers who supplied maize to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) will be cleared by January 10th, 2026. For many farmers, this announcement brings relief. But it also raises a painful question that cannot be ignored:

Is paying late the same as paying fairly?

For farmers, maize is not just a commodity. It is food for their families, school fees for their children, and the seed capital for the next season. When payment is delayed, farming does not pause. The rains come whether money has arrived or not.

When payment is late, planting is late

Across Zambia, the optimal maize planting window under rain-fed conditions is late October through November. This is when the soil has moisture, temperatures are favorable, and crops can establish before end-of-season stress.

Many farmers who supplied maize to the FRA relied on payment to:

Buy seed
Purchase fertilizer
Prepare fields
Pay for labor

Because payment did not come on time, many were forced to plant weeks late, some in December, and others not at all.

By January, planting maize is no longer a delay. It is a lost opportunity.

Late planting has a real cost in the field

Agricultural extension guidance in Zambia consistently shows that each day of delayed planting after the optimal window reduces maize yield. A conservative and widely used estimate is:

50 kg per hectare lost for each day of delay

Using a modest 30-day delay, which reflects the experience of many unpaid farmers:

Yield losses

Per hectare:50 kg × 30 days = 1,500 kg lost= 30 bags of maize
Per acre:≈ 607 kg lost= 12 bags of maize

These losses happen even before accounting for pests, poor pollination, or early end to the rains.

What those losses mean in Kwacha

In 2025, the FRA is buying maize at:

K6.80 per kilogram
K340 per 50 kg bag

That means farmers lost:

K10,200 per hectare(30 bags × K340)
K4,080 per acre(12 bags × K340)

This is not theoretical money. It is income that should have fed families and funded the next planting season.

What the law and fairness suggest

When farmers deliver maize to the FRA, a commercial obligation is created. Under basic principles of contract and public finance, unreasonable delay in payment that causes foreseeable loss creates a duty to compensate.

It is entirely foreseeable that:

Delayed payment would delay planting
Delayed planting would reduce yield
Reduced yield would reduce income

Paying the original amount by January 10 settles the debt.It does not undo the damage caused by late payment.

What farmers are asking for

Farmers are not asking for favors. They are asking for recognition of real losses caused by a system failure they did not create.

A fair response would include:

Compensation for yield loss, estimated atK10,200 per hectare or K4,080 per acre
Interest on delayed payments to reflect lost working capital
Input support for the next season to help farmers recover
Clear reforms to ensure FRA payments are made on time in future

Questions for Dr. Situmbeko Musokotwane, MP, Minister of Finance and National Planning

Farmers respectfully ask:

Does the Government acknowledge that delayed FRA payments caused late planting?
Has the Ministry quantified the yield and income losses farmers have suffered?
Will farmers be compensated for these losses beyond the principal payment?
If not, why should smallholder farmers absorb the full cost of government delay?
What reforms will ensure this does not happen again?

Estimated Income Loss to Farmers Due to Late Payment and Late Planting

Assumptions (conservative):

Average planting delay: 30 days
Yield loss: 50 kg per hectare per day
FRA maize price (2025): K6.80 per kg = K340 per 50 kg bag
1 hectare = 2.47 acres
Example expected yield if planted on time: 60 bags per hectare (illustrative, not a guarantee)

Summary Table: Expected Yield vs Late-Planting Yield and Potential Losses Owed to Farmers

Land Size	Expected yield if planted on time	Expected yield after 30-day delay	Estimated bags lost	Estimated income lost (Kwacha)
1 acre	~24 bags	~12 bags	~12 bags	K4,080
1 hectare	60 bags	30 bags	30 bags	K10,200
5 hectares	300 bags	150 bags	150 bags	K51,000
10 hectares	600 bags	300 bags	300 bags	K102,000

What this means for farmers and the government

For many farmers, being paid on January 10th means the money arrives after the optimal maize planting window has already passed. While the payment settles what was owed for last season’s maize deliveries, it does not replace the income lost when farmers were forced to plant late, plant less land, or miss planting altogether.

Using conservative agricultural estimates, a farmer cultivating just one hectare could reasonably expect about 60 bags if planting was done on time. A 30-day delay linked to late payment can reduce that harvest by about half, resulting in a loss of 30 bags of maize, worth approximately K10,200 at the 2025 FRA price.

For farmers operating 5 to 10 hectares, losses quickly rise to K51,000 to K102,000, amounts that directly affect household food security, school fees, loan repayments, and the ability to purchase inputs for the next season.

These losses are not the result of poor farming practices or weather alone. They stem from delayed payment in a system farmers relied on in good faith. Recognizing and compensating these losses would not be charity. It would be a fair, responsible, and economically sound response that protects farmers, stabilizes national food production, and strengthens confidence in Zambia’s agricultural institutions.

A question of justice and food security

Farmers did their part. They planted, harvested, and delivered maize in good faith. When payment was delayed, they carried the burden quietly.

Paying by January 10 closes an arrears list. It does not restore a lost harvest.

If Zambia values its farmers and its food security, then compensation for real, measurable losses is not optional. It is the right thing to do, and the smart thing to do.