Botha-Bothe, June 19 — Farmers who are selling their produce to the Disaster Management Authority (DMA) have expressed dissatisfaction with the prices being offered for their grain, saying they are significantly lower than those paid during previous purchasing periods.

In an interview with the Lesotho News Agency, one farmer Makhotso Mohau said that during the last buying season, DMA purchased a 50kg bag of sorghum for M950.00, whereas the current price has dropped to M450.00.

"The price is too low compared to what we received before. We only brought our grain as  we recently harvested and it does not make sense to keep last year's produce in storage. If left for too long, pests may damage it and it will go to waste," she said.

She appealed to the government to consider offering more reasonable prices that would enable farmers to make a profit and continue investing in agricultural production.

Despite concerns over pricing, the farmer commended the registration process and service provided by DMA, noting that there were no long queues and the process was efficient.

Speaking to the publication, District Disaster Manager Ms Mojabeng Mohloki said DMA does not determine grain prices on its own. She explained that the authority works closely with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition, which provides market-based grain values whenever purchases are made.

Ms Mohloki reminded farmers that DMA is not a commercial market for agricultural produce, but an authority mandated to purchase food for poverty alleviation and emergency food assistance programmes.

She said the authority buys food from local farmers to support livelihoods while ensuring that vulnerable households have access to food.

"Let us remember that the mandate of DMA is to buy food only when there is a need to assist people facing food shortages. It is also important to note that the grain currently being purchased is from farmers who were unable to sell all their produce during the previous buying period," she said.

She further clarified that DMA is not currently purchasing grain from the 2026 harvest.

DMA began purchasing grain on June 17 and the exercise will continue until June 30, 2026. The programme is open only to farmers who registered following the authority's public announcement.