Mon, 28 Aug 2017 09:19:13 +0000
By Bennie Mundando
HOW dare you threaten us with legal action over our complaint on the exploitative price of maize as if you produce the commodity when you are just a grain marketing agency? The Zambia National Farmers’ Union (ZNFU) has queried FRA’s threats.
Meanwhile, maize prices have continued nose-diving in the wake of FRA’s insistence that it will not increase from K60 per 50-kilogramme as grain buyers have now started refusing to pay more than what the FRA is offering.
ZNFU second vice-president Austin Shinachize said the union was relishing the FRA’s threat of legal action over the it’s concerns over the poor maize marketing price of K60 for a 50-kg bag of maize.
“We, as farmers, are the owners of the commodity and we are ready to be sued for refusing to sell our crop for a pittance. The buyer cannot dictate the price at which to buy the crop. The producer, the seller should.
The best route to take is for the FRA to come to the negotiating table with farmers, failure to which we will continue holding on to our maize until we get a better price,” Mr. Shinachize said.
He said if FRA believed that the solution to the maize price impasse lies in the court process, ZNFU was ready to face them.
“As far as ZNFU is concerned, we are still waiting for a meeting with the Minister of Agriculture whom we wrote to so that the farmers’ cry can be heard. We will still go ahead and prompt farmers to hold on to their maize until we get a better price.
“No amount of pressure or threats will stop farmers from getting a good price because farmers have been patriotic to Zambia for growing the staple crop and need to regenerate money for further investments,” Mr. Shinachize said.
Meanwhile, more problems have continued hitting farmers as buyers have further reduced their buying price in the wake of FRA’s adamancy in maintaining the announced floor price.
ZNFU cited Chongwe as one of the areas where farmers were now at the mercy of buyers who have told them they could not buy maize at a price more than what the FRA was offering.
Meanwhile, farmers in Mkushi are reportedly feeding their maize to their animals instead of selling at the current price which they say did not make economic sense.
Farmers have complained that they sold soya beans at very low prices due to some economic pressures and hoped for some bargain on maize but only for FRA to disappoint them.
