Government says it is capable of supplying 1.3 million metric tonnes of maize to the Democratic republic of Congo DRC to meet maize deficit in that country. Acting Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry Moses Mawere says government has begun facilitating for trade between the two countries.
Mr. Mawere says the two countries are set to sign a Memorandum of understanding – MOU which will facilitate for trade of agriculture products like maize and mealie meal. He says the draft document of the MOU will be ready and shared with the DRC counterparts by the tenth July this year.
Mr. Mawere was speaking in Ndola when he met with Democratic Republic of Congo – DRC Katanga Province governor of Haut Jacques Katwe in Ndola this afternoon.
And Mr. Katwe says the DRC is depending on Zambia to help with providing it with food security through the export of maize and mealie meal. He says the formulation of the MOU will stop illegal vices in the export of maize such as smuggling and fraud.
Meanwhile, Ministry of Agriculture Permanent Secretary Songowayo Zyambo says the country has enough maize stock for export and Local consumption. He says the country is exploring means of investing in the maize production in the Northern part of Zambia to meet the growing demand of the product.
And Copperbelt Minister Japhen Mwakalombe has said that there is need to formalise trade between Zambia and Congo DRC. Mr. Mwakalombe was speaking when DRC Katanga province Governor Jacques Katwe and his delegation called on him at his office, adding that currently there is a lot of smuggling going on between the two countries.
Mr. Mwakalombe called on the Katanga Governor to engage with his office so as to strengthen trade ties between Zambia and Congo DRC.
And Mr. Katwe says the province has come up with a policy aimed at promoting Agriculture in Katanga and the country as a whole.
He says while it imports mealie meal from Zambia there is need to promote agriculture in order to increase production of maize and other Agriculture produce.
This will always result in corruption coz an open opportunity will be restricted to a few individuals mainly party cadres with access to FRA maize – hence from Malawi maize gate to Congo maize gate!! Why don’t we allow ordinary farmers export their maize as the FRA focusses on managing strategic reserves? Is this the time to think about investing in Maize production in north,something we should have done many years ago for CB and NW Provinces to capture even the Angolan market!These are some of the businesses govt can facilitate cooperatives,ZNS and youths to get involved in!
Let’s feed our brothers and sisters in kazungula and other areas before we think of exporting any grain.
@Zambiaisours
Whoever you’re, please feel sorry for yourself because it appears you got issues to deal with which are slowly kill1ng you. Whats corrupt in this arrangement if i may ask? You’re the same chaps who are contradicting yourselves day ans night. When Zambia starts to export goods or products to earn forex, you complain, when Zambia only imports and deplets its forex, again you complain, so whats your agenda? And you expect we the Zambians can vote for directionless and power hungry hyenas and wild dogs like your HH and UPND? You will go.into coma, in 2021 because you have no clue of what our roadmap as PF is.
@Maliso you should have stayed in school longer to polish your grammar and understanding of the English language, now you are a poor pf cadre misunderstand points and failing to express yourself here.
@Zambiasours is saying ordinary Zambian businessmen and farmers should be allowed to export maize. Stop being naive.
Plant Winter maize for export. Feed Zambia from rain maize.
Yes allow ZNS to gear up on Winter Maize Projects across the country. Let winter maize be a serious Government Business Initiative for exports.
Zambia will surely regret this golden opportunity of an easy market it has messed up with for many years in as far as the DRC is concerned when that sleeping giant wakes up from it’s slumber agriculturally.
Why do you export when you don’t have enough?Bone heads.
These are thieves wanting to steal from FRA reserve depots …they will not rest till everything disappears!!
This is chipante pante sure exporting maize with the current hunger situation in the country
Zambia produces more maize than it needs. In fact a lot of maize go to waste each year. The trouble I have with the pronouncement is the consistency in implementation. We must allow commercial and emerging farmers to export so that they can expand their production. And one needs to consider the impact on logistics. Exporting 1.3 m MT of maize is no joke. It needs more trucks than are currently involved in copper and cobalt exports. So good opportunity for private sector to get involved. Let’s wait and see how this is rolls out.
which maize?
For our own information the maize from here doesn’t go beyond Katanga province.
Just to talk about maize we 2 Ministers and 1 PS, obviously Nundwe was there too. The next thing we’ll see Ministers competing to supply the maize just like they done in the Saudi goats deal. I don’t know where Sata got these people. We are in trouble
In Zambia we are jokers and do not take issues with the seriousness they deserve. The Congo market is an opportunity for Country to earn more forex and improve our economical growth. But as usual politics come into play. No policy direction but simply talking. Remember we are not the only ones on planet earth who can grow maize. Another Country will seize the opportunity and we shall remain where we are, talking and shouting, chasing smugglers. There was talk of growing winter maize in the mildest of the drought that has hit some parts of this Country but nothing is being done at all, yet we have rivers flowing all year round. Commercial farmers can grow winter maize, we did it during the time of our late president levy Mwanawasa(M.H.S.R.I.P). Zambia wake up from slumber.
They want Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to do things for Zambia.
Are they aware that in southern province a bucket of maize is costing about k60 currently…….our brothers there have run out of reserves help our own b4 we go to cross boarders
SP once a maizebelt, a food basket for this beloved country.
It’s incredible what climate change can do to an area 🙁 .
Annex Katanga….it belongs to Zambia
i wonder why we are not feeding Malawi , Congo & Zimbabwe these three countries are easy markets but as usual the government is still sleeping these guys can help our falling reserves , government could directly fund farmers ( low intrest loans ) because there is readily easy available market
when other countries would even be spending money on t£rrorists just to make sure that you don’t ever recover as country so that they can continue selling you their products but no our government can’t see this cash cow right before our eyes .The PF government would rather buy a private jet than properly fund the agriculture sector we should be providing education & giving interest free loans to farmers so they can mechanize their farming then open maize exports to Congo and other countries in need .
I can not support the export maize. Why? Because we will have exported the much needed jobs for the locals. Instead I would encourage export of processed maize foodstuffs eg. Mealie meal, starch, etc. Value addition.