Government has secured K200 billion to buy excess maize from farmers – Levy

Government has secured K200 billion to buy excess maize from farmers through out the country.

President Levy Mwanawasa announced this today when he addressed hundreds of people who received him on arrival at Chipata Airport.

Mr. Mwanawasa is in Chipata to attend tomorrow’s Kulamba traditional ceremony of the
Chewa people at Mkaika in Katete district.

Mr. Mwanawasa said he held a meeting in Lusaka yesterday with representatives of a
bank he did not name, who agreed to advance the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) a sum of
K200 billion to mop up excess grain from farmers around the country.

He was responding to concerns raised by Eastern Province Minister LamecK Mangani
that farmers in the province were still stuck with maize.

He assured the farmers that the FRA would mop up all their excess maize following
the acquisition of the K200 billion.

Mr. Mwanawasa urged the farmers to continue working hard and produce more maize in the next farming season.

And Mr. Mwanawasa  has commended Member of Parliament (MPs) for passing the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) bill in parliament yesterday.

He said it was gratifying to note that MPs from the opposition overwhelmingly
supported the bill.

He said this signified the fact that they were ready to put national interest above
their partisan inclination.

The President said that the only time and resources available to Zambians was to
work together in developing the country as squabbles, unconstructive arguments and
unnecessary criticism will not take the country anywhere.

Mr. Mwanawasa called on Zambians to support him in the remaining four years of his
tenure of office so that he leaves behind a better Zambia.

He said that people who are criticising him now over the constitution were
themselves responsible for the mess which his government is trying to correct in as
far as the principal law of land is concerned.

He called on the critiques to give him space to govern as mandated by the people of
Zambia in 2001 and the renewed mandate during the 2006 elections.

Meanwhile Mr. Mwanawasa has commended the people of Eastern province for supporting him and the ruling MMD during the 2006 elections.

President Mwanawasa said he was happy that the people in the province had shifted
their support to the ruling MMD compared to 2001 when the party did not perform well
in the province.

He said his government would do everything possible to develop the well fare of the
people In the province.

He cited the Chipata/Mchinji railway project, who construction work he and his
Malawian counterpart, Bingu Wa Mutharika are due to commission today as one of the
developmental projects aimed at improving the quality of life of the people in the
province and the country as a whole.

Mr. Mwanawasa said the railway line is expected to be completed by the end of this
year or mid next year.

He added that during the construction phase, a lot of Zambians living along the
railway line are expected to benefit in various ways including job creation.

The railway line is later expected to reach Petauke on the way to join Tazara.

Meanwhile, President of Malawi, Bingu Wa Mutharika is also expected in Chipata ahead
of the Kulamba ceremony in Mkaika tomorrow.

Mozambique President Armando Guebuza is due to arrive tomorrow in Katete for the
same ceremony.

Presidents Mwanawasa and Mutarika are expected to commission the construction works of the Chipata/Mchinji railway before separately paying courtesy calls on paramount chief Kalonga Gawa Undi.

In the evening, the two heads of state are expected to attend a royal dinner at
Apollo Officers’ Mess in Chipata.

Paramount Chief Kalonga Gawa Undi and several other chiefs from Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia are also expected to attend the dinner.