ZACA hails maize price

The Zambia Consumer Association (ZACA) has commended Government for maintaining the floor price of maize for this year’s crop marketing season.

ZACA executive secretary Muyunda Ililonga said in an interview in Lusaka yesterday that the decision made by the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) is an indication that Government has considered the economic interests of farmers and consumers by ensuring that the price of mealie-meal, which was reduced early this year by an average of K5,000 is maintained.

The floor price of maize is K65,000 per 50 kilogramme bag, the same as in the last farming season.

“We welcome the announcement of the floor price. This is good for ZACA because our members’ interests have been taken into account.

“The announcement is also an indication that farming in the country has been taken seriously by Government as a reliable business, and this decision will help Zambia to stabilise the mealie-meal price,” Mr Ililonga said.

He said the decision will give farmers an opportunity to grow more maize and ensure food security in the country.

Meanwhile, the Kitwe District Farmers Union has welcomed the decision by the FRA to maintain the floor price of maize at K65,000 per 50 kilogramme bag.

Union chairman Humphrey Kunda said in an interview in Kitwe yesterday his members will vote for President Banda because of his good agricultural policies.

“We are going to support Government, although the floor price of maize has not been increased. We will vote for President Banda because his administration has managed to eradicate hunger in the communities,” Mr Kunda said.

He, however, said it would have been ideal for Government to increase the floor price of maize to between K70,000 and K75,000 per 50 kilogramme bag because the price of the staple food has not been increased for the past three seasons.

“It has taken long for the FRA to increase the floor price of maize, and small-scale farmers will be on the losing side, compared to commercial farmers. We expected Government to increase the price to between K70,000 and K75,000. For the past three seasons, the floor price has been the same,” Mr Kunda said.

The FRA crop marketing programme officially opened on Tuesday, and will close on October 31.

This year, the marketable surplus of maize is estimated to be 1.66 million metric tonnes, beating last year’s one million metric tonnes.

FRA board chairman Brigadier-General Maybin Sikweti said in Lusaka on Tuesday while the price of maize will be maintained at K65,000 per 50kg bag, the price of paddy rice will be K60,000 per 40kg bag.

General Sikweti said prices were arrived at after analysing the cost of production and taking into account prevailing local and regional market conditions.

“These are FRA prices, and they should be used by farmers to negotiate for better prices as they trade with the private sector,” he said.

General Sikweti said FRA has set up buying points in all the 74 districts and on average, 15 satellite depots per district will be opened to ensure farmers have access to the market.

He said the crop will only be received when the moisture content is not more than 12.5 percent.