PARLIAMENT heard yesterday that Government did not ban the export of maize to its neighboring countries.
Agriculture Minister Given Lubinda told Parliament that at the beginning of this month his permanent secretary announced a suspension of the issuance of export permits to allow for carrying out an audit of maize that was held especially by the private sector to avoid a situation where FRA maize was also exported dubiously.
Mr Lubinda said when he previously announced the release of maize by FRA he had indicated that the private sector was holding onto more than 200, 000 tons of maize and that maize would be allowed for export from the Ministry of Agriculture.
“There was no ban that was made. In accordance with the Food Reserve Act, a ban on exports of any food item would have to be by way of issuing a statutory instrument,”
He said that after the stocks were verified, government announced that the issuance of export permits had again commenced.
Meanwhile, Mr Lubinda told the House there was a leader of some opposition political party that misled the world when he lied that government had sold all its maize to its neighbouring countries.
Mr Lubinda told Parliament he was shocked to see a leader of the opposition political party featuring on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) news misleading the world that Zambia had exported all its maize at $200 per metric ton.
He said lies should never be a mark for leadership quality by misleading the world through international media.
“Mr Speaker, we ought to aspire for the leadership of the country on the basis of the truth,” Mr Lubinda said.
He said the statement issued to BBC by the opposition leader was misleading and alarming in nature.
Mr Lubinda said people who were bent on telling lies should never be voted into office.
Iyee ubuyanga….surely how low can PF sink? I give up completely on these fo@ls
Okay, so we have enough maize in the country… Enough even to export… Why then is the commodity becoming more and more expensive???? And why are we experiencing shortages of the commodity that is so in abundance in the country??? Simple supply and demand Not-So-Honorable Minister!!!!!!!!
Another confused and corrupt chap- Zayelo. We know that their only source of income for the elections is to export maize. after elections there will be hunger in Zambia never seen before and they don’t care whether they win or loose. If they win through rigging, they are already in power then and citizens cant do anything. If they lose, UPND will have to deal with this problem.
Even if it is Dochi Kubeba, this is too much ba Lubinda, at least be consistent with pronouncement at the very least. The more reasons we need to substitute your entire team.
This is what happens when you LIVE, EAT PamaFI, you CONTRACT MAD-COW DISEASE!! Everyone in PamaFI seem to contradict each other & whatever looks MORALLY & LOGICALLY RIGHT!!
Ba PamaFI you have had your days, it is time we CLEANSED OURSELVES of the remaining mafi still sticking to our BUT.TOCKS!! These PamaFi are almost drying & DIFFICULT TO GET RID OF!!
Vote Zambia Forward!! Vote Wisely 11/8/2016!! Vote UPND!!
#chagwamustfall!!
I thank you!!
PF Comedy
PLEASE TELL THE TRUTH MINISTER! FRA. DOES NOT HAVE MAIZE.YOU SOLD FRA MAIZE BEING HELD AT GSS TO ZDENAKIE. ,, PARTLY BEING REBAGGED INTO WFP BAGS READY FOR EXPORT. THE PRIVATE SECTOR I.E ETG,ZDENAKIE,AFGRI,CARGIL,UAG, AGRI OPTIONS. HAVE APPROXIMATELY. 80,000 TONS COMBINED. AS AT PRESENT..
Someone should have told Hon Kambwili. It would have saved him from waking ZNBC camera staff up to escort him to see trucks of maize at 01:00.
Oh, and just a gentle reminder. PF, you are in power. your incessant reference to the “opposition” and HH in particular makes people think you are in opposition and scared stiff of HH. As for Mumbi Phiri who is so mortified that she fails to eat when she hears the name of HH, she is beyond redemption.
One day I was walking behind a beautiful and nicely dressed lady in the corridors of the shops in town . She was eating a sausage/chicken as she walked. After she finished eating she threw the left over on to the streets and nearby there was this dirty mad guy who quickly picked up the trash and put it in his katundu. Then I thought as to who was mad between the two. Now looking at lubinda and his team and what they feed us whenever they talk……I am left maulesi. I love zambia
Time to export everything for a bit of foreign exchange. Maize is Zambian Gold. Stop eating it Zambians, we need something to export! Be patriots and help your country!
We need to export more, that is the point. Good govt should be thinking of how to boost the growing of maize for export. But PF is thinking of how to stop the exporting through schemes which are frustrating a businessmen and women.
Comment: then why was he going round impounding tracks.
Opposition caught pants down. HH wasebana.
@HH techilema
Ukainyelawila in August
But kwena these guys are comedians indeed. So then why did they unleash DCs,PSs and cadres around the Country to impound any truck they found with maize? Which decision have these guys ever made without backtracking? This is the same guy who went home to a Gin and Tonic after removing Rupiah Banda’s immunity.
BO LUBINDA, HONESTLY WHY WERE THOSE TRUCKS STOPPED AT THE MALAWI BOARDER IF YOU DID NOT BAN EXPORT OF MAIZE. QUIT POLITICS YOU ARE GETTING TANGLED IN YOUR OWN WEB OF LIES. SHAMEFUL.
Imwe na imwe those trucks did have proper export papers, think before your post drivel!
HH said maize was being exported without verifying that we had enough in the first place. Zambia even made arrangements to export loads of maize to Zimbabwe and did so. Lubinda should be addressing the issue why there is a shortage and the prices are high. There have been so many mixed messages, counter announcements, flip flopping from different government mouth pieces in government. It is there for anyone objective to see that this government has no settled agricultural policy to speak about. Completely nil!
They don’t have any policies at all.
1.Internal security is in a mess
2.The nations economy is in an even bigger mess
3.Agricultural sector has been 4ucked up.
4.Public media is in a mess
5.Health sector is in a mess
6Banking sector is in a mess
No wonder they move in tinted vehicles.After messing up they cant face the electorate..
Does anyone on the board know about the 20,000 metric tonnes delivered by African potash in January? If it was delivered?
There was a TV clip which showed the Lusaka PS leading a delegation inspecting maize silos where stacks and stacks of bags of maize were shown. Where those pictures doctored?