THE Food Reserve Agency (FRA) has bought more than 44,000 tonnes of maize countrywide since the buying exercise begun, executive director Chola Kafwabulula has said.
And it has been stablished that maize smugglers are using new routes in an effort to operate under the radar of security personel.
Mr Kafwabulula said the newest route used by bootleggers was the Mansa- Luwingu Road.
“Maize is being taken out through Mansa using the Mansa -Luwingu Road then into Kasama and onward to Mbala and Mpulungu before exiting Zambia,” Mr Kafwabulula said.
Another area that had been identified as being actively used by smugglers was the Mugubudu area in Eastern Province.
The FRA chief however, said it was difficult to quantify just how much maize was leaving the country illegaly.
The FRA would continue working closely with state security wings, especially the Zambia National Service, to curb the vice because if left unchecked, it had the potential of compromising food security.
The highest maize purchases were recorded in Luapula Province where 13,000 tonnes were purchased.
The FRA encouraged farmers to start delivering their maize at depots in their various localities as the moisture content was deemed to be low enough.
“We are also appealing to farmers to preclean their maize at home so that they do not overstay at the depots.
“We are also not turning away farmers whose maize is found to be high in moisture content and we are instead asking them to leave the maize at the depots and come back later,” Mr Kafwabulula said.
Framers had no reason to worry about leaving their maize as all depots had adequate security.
The buying exercise had started out slow because most farmers had been expecting the FRA to begin purchases in August.
I do not understand what is wrong with some of the people we have in Zambia. If it is my maize, what is wrong with me exporting it where I feel I will get more money and make profit and cover even more hectarage in the next farming season? Please Kafwabulula give us a break. If you feel exportation of maize will cause maize shortage in the country, why can’t the Govt grow more through Prisons Service, ZNS, Army, etc? Indeed it was a waste of material creating a black man. God would have used such materials to create other more useful things. What a waste of effort by God! And these black people are reproducing like rats! Now some are even “Christians” for somebody instead of God. Bloody macaca wena.