By NATION REPORTER
WITH unstable local pricing of maize, it is not wise to begin making arrangements of export, Nalolo Member of Parliament Imanga Wamunyima has said.
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Mr Wamunyima said government has so far not developed a strong supply chain to satisfy both local and export demand and was why the idea of exports was feasible at the moment.
He said Zambia may have statistics of how much maize the country harvested and subsequently supplied to millers but the country has failed to come up with statistics of how much was smuggled illegally.
Mr Wamunyima said there was a hunger crisis in Western Province and border areas like Shangombo were recording the highest selling prices.
He was reacting to the announcement that was made by Defense Minister, Ambrose Lufuma saying that the Democratic Republic of Congo has advanced a payment of USD $15m to Zambia for the supply of mealie meal, which was aside the demand from Kenya and Tanzania of 1 million metric tonnes of maize each.
Following the demand by the country’s neighbours and domestic market, the defence force led by the Zambia National Service was now in the process of acquiring land in all the ten provinces to boost the production of maize.
The defense force is already in talks with the ministry of agriculture to acquire more land for increased production.
Meanwhile Economic Front president Wynter Kabimba said government was about to make a grave mistake like the one they made when they decided to start exporting electricity which led to massive load shedding in the county, the selling of maize would injure Zambia’s food security.
“You cannot engage in trade when you have a deficit, you can only trade as a country when you have a surplus,” he said.
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