Thursday, March 28, 2024

28 trucks intercepted at Mwami border driven to FRA sheds under tight security

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TWENTY-EIGHT trucks laden with maize that were intercepted at Mwami border for almost a month have been driven to the Food Reserve Agency(FRA) sheds under the tight security in Chipata District of Eastern Province.

The trucks which bare foreign number plates were on Tuesday afternoon driven from Mwami border to FRA sheds within the border town.

Chipata District Commissioner Kalunga Zulu confirmed that the trucks were parked at FRA sheds for safety keeping.

The Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) at Mwami border impounded 28 trucks laden with maize and maize products destined for export to Malawi.

Eastern Province Permanent Secretary Chanda Kasolo said the issue of smuggling of maize and mealie meal into Malawi should be stopped.

And Mr Zulu has commended Chipata District Farmers Association (CDFA) for implementing governance projects that affect all citizens in one way or another.

The district commissioner said in a speech read on his behalf by District Administrative Officer Kapembwa Sikazwe at the closure of a consultative meeting that community participation and governance remains the cornerstone for prudent management of public affairs and ensuring that the outcome benefits the people of Zambia.

He said Government introduced platforms to good governance through the production of decentralisation policy.

“And this policy cannot be implemented effectively if there are no coordinated structures at the grassroot levels,” he said.

“What CDFA is doing is providing all the ministries involved and other service providers key for better coordination and collaboration for effective service delivery to the community members,”Mr Zulu said.

14 COMMENTS

  1. This is an exercise in futility You cannot bring the price of maize by imposing those measures it only creates a parallel black market system fuelling the prices even higher If you check the south African maize industries and allied, you will observe that South Africa exports 60% of maize it produces to the Americans and 10% to the Americas specifically Mexico and the rest locally utilised There is no quotas or tariffs There is no shortage of maize and farmers get the value for there money and even are motivated more to produce creating the diversification that we need in that incentive

    Again when you document episodes of Maize Quotas and Tariffs including…

    • This maize is highly subsidized using our tax money. Sata removed the subsidies so that the government would not be forced to put such stringent measures but he was demonised. The subsidies are so that the price of mealie meal are affordable for the majority poor Zambian …How can we allow that our taxes benefit the same millers double tobela by them selling the already subsidised mealie meal at triple prices? ….

  2. A month;…. and a decision has not been made to either confiscate the maize or let it go? People are hungry make up your minds!

  3. these measures every time they have been implement, there is no time at which prices for maize or meal have fallen in Zambia it such measures infact prices at every such measures have risen to levels once not attained

    There other workable measures that makes maize a normal necessary good to inferior removing those elasticity’s and losses making the marketing less headache

  4. Pliz we are Zambians lets support what is right. When the country experienced shortage of Meal meal you were accusing lungu to be exporting maize when the govt stops that you turn round and blame the govt. My question is why taking long to make a decision? we have lost gold and other things becoz of similar delays

  5. There is not need to work against fundamentals at play in world grains marketing especially regional I sometimes laugh at the MORE attention paid to these Zambians small millers Let them export following ZRA prices will crystallise
    There not be any time when the region will have the large Grain Supply ,it May Not Be Enough and those with it can realise significant gains!
    For Instance many years ago, the quantity of food consumed in a typical household was surpassed by what was consumed outside.
    This scenario with the growing middle class around the sub-Sahara including food hungry countries like India and China, the food consumed outside household will rise. It common no knowledge that food will have to travel…

    • not what has been subsidized for Zambians…… we are paying too much taxes, 35% and a lot of that goes to subsidies so that the millers sell lower for the poor to afford not for them to benefit double by exporting!

  6. further and be processed in growing layers of distribution. Therefore if you look at the reconciliation of grains such as soya and maize in stock in the Region and see the yields to exports from planted and harvested hectas to closing Stocks/Use Ratio you cannot contain the current propensity to export all you do to retain Stocks/Use Ratio like South Africa even when you export always is to increase the planted and Harvested Hectas to have a manageable supply and demand both for external and Internal The preliminary forecast as read by minister also looks promising over a 5 year period The key is in the distribution of maize and maize products effectively
    You will…

  7. You will need as a short term measure to address the short-term bearish fundamentals exhibited in the corn market reflected in the meal mealie as you look to the yields in the new markets No need to work about the 4 millers bo linduda Its an exercise in futility only measures

    DO AN EFFECTIVE RECONCILIATION OF PLANTED TO HAVESTED AND CHECK CONSUMPTION INCLUDING EXPORTS WEEKLY AND MONTHLY YEARLY AND SEASONALLY ALWAYS YOU WILL NEVER HAVE TO GRAMBLE WITH THE RESERVE MARGIN AS WE CALL IN IN THE FUTURE MARKETS OR Stocks/Use Ratio

    • Confused rhetoric, please apply some some thought alignment techniques and then write your article sensibly. Otherwise you are just making noise and sounding very gibberish.

  8. I don’t even understand this report – all garbled and confused as usual. Was this maize being exported (legally) or smuggled? Who is suspected to be behind this?? Are we waiting – as usual – for the right time to name the culprit(s)?? See the way this article is written is fully loaded with politics and you will see little splinters now being broken off and used in the so-called campaign season. Kwena mwe bena Zed mulifipuba zoona!!! Politics in EVERYTHING!!??

  9. 28 trucks impounded for 28 days with maize…shear incompetence by this govt…some FRA officals will making a killing out of this confusion!!

  10. This is highly organised activity and can assure you that sooner or later the trucks shall melt down like ice leaving us wondering how they could disappear right under the cops nose.

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