Government has lifted the ban it imposed last week on the export of maize after a physical verification revealed that the nation has enough stocks to last until August.
Agriculture permanent secretary Julius Shawa said the country has 600,433 tonnes of maize enough to last until August.
“The ban on maize exports with proper documentation has been lifted. We are aware that some of the grain traders have contractual obligations but we need to make sure that we verify that the grain they are exporting is theirs,” he said.
Government suspended maize exports to curb local shortages pending the verification of available stocks. The government was concerned that steep price increases were being caused by smuggling of the grain to neighbouring Malawi and Democratic Republic of Congo.
The country has continued to face mealie meal shortages despite the government continued assurances that the country has enough maize to feed the nation.
Earlier the Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU) has advised against prolonging the ban on the export of maize government announced last week.
ZNFU Executive Director Ndambo Ndambo says prolonging the ban could jeopardize the supply contracts local traders have entered into with players in other countries.
Mr. Ndambo says this could make it difficult for players in those countries to trust Zambian suppliers.
He however, states that the temporal export ban is good and should be used to ascertain whether the country has enough maize in stock.
aaah….ni circus pa last mwe!
this government is very drank every time,,,, jaw dropping shock!!!”
The joke called PF continues everyday….
The joke called PF continues everyday….I hope you gave someone with a grade 12 certificate to count
What the verification led to was that all those trucks that had been impounded belonged to PF supporter stalwarts and none of opposition affiliated traders were involved! Lifting of the ban is to ensure PF fund raising continues. However government has to explain why the mealie meal shortage and its astronomical pricing persists!
What,? So GBM was right when talking to Tayali
Chipante pante
We are in trouble…such decisions
Folly of the highest order…so who compensates those haulers for loss of maize and grounding those trucks…this has to end!
You need an export permit though, Govt is nottalking about smuggling, we are noy allowing smuggling
Ndambo ndambo further said there were enough stocks for all business but country doesn’t have capacity to mill ever for export (znbc radio)
Someone was sleeping on the job. Why not having figures at your finger tips every second as follows:-
Balance for Previous Season xxx Tons
Total Produced This Season xxx Tons
Shortfall Imported This Season xxx Tons
– Locally Consumed xxx Tons
– Exported xxx Tons
– Smuggled xxx Tons
Balance in Stock xxx Tons Always dancing to opposition, instead of working.
So why the shortage of millie meal? With a clueless president it’s so hard to know who is telling the truth. This man Lungu must go. We cannot have a national crisis and the president is nowhere to be seen to be addressing it. Why elect a president who cannot solve national problems? All he is doing is harassing the opposition parties on silly charges while the nation is suffering economically. August 11 vote this no vision Lungu out of state house. He is a complete failure of a president.
If the stocks will last only up to August, then what happens after August? Is this govt sure that the harvest for this season will be enough beyond August? Shortsightedness of the highest order. What did Zambia do to deserve such mediocre leadership?
You must be very ignorant – farmers will start harvesting the new crop in a few weeks and there are no indications that this season’s harvest is bad. So, when they say current stock will reach August, they are telling you that it will overlap with the new good harvest. Those who are hoarding mealie meal – tough lack, it will just rot in your warehouses.
Anyone that can support this governments handling of the maize/mealie meal saga is a cretin from mars.The country is experiencing shortages of mealie meal and high prices and one reason attributed for this vice is maize exports and smuggling.Yet these wheelers and dealers find it fit to exacerbate the situation by lifting the ban because they are beneficiaries and don’t care about the common man.Creation of task forces to clamp down on exports was all just a sham and waste of tax payers money.
Hehehehehehehehehehehehe!!!! but the way government blew the trumpet…. Viva GBM
KiKikikikikikikikikiki….Zambians will have stopped eating ‘Ubwali’ after August when maize in the country runs out hehehehehehe……. PF planning.
They are fundrising thy dont care as long as thy earn more money in their pockerts before thy vacate ofice in augast pf thats thy are good at fleep flooping decesion making
Allow export of mealie meal and not maize bachakolwa – haven’t you heard about value addition? Boost your local factories!