Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Days of millers depending on cheap maize from the FRA are long gone-President Lungu

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The African Milling New Maize Plant situated along Buyantanshi road in Lusaka
The African Milling New Maize Plant situated along Buyantanshi road in Lusaka

President Edgar Lungu has stressed that the days of millers depending on cheap maize from the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) are long gone.

President Lungu says the FRA is only meant to store strategic reserves, taking into consideration that it is the primary purpose why the agency was established.

The President has also encouraged millers to buy maize from farmers and has appealed to those that are not able to conduct maize buying on their own to instead sub-contract grain traders to procure the commodity on their behalf.

And the Head of State says the developments taking place in the milling industry are a clear indication that the private sector is embracing the government’s policies of promoting private sector development and value addition.

He said this yesterday when he officially opened the African Milling New Maize Plant situated along Buyantanshi road in Lusaka.

And the President noted that the expansion project by African Milling is expected to increase milling capacity to 506 metric tonnes of maize per day.

He said with this production capacity, the plant is supposed to run at full capacity, hence the need to address load shedding and ensure adequate maize meal supply which he said will cushion the escalating mealie meal prices.

The President mentioned that the government has been making frantic efforts to ensure that maize production is improved in the current farming season.

President Lungu explained that he is confident that the creation of the maize market through the expansion of the African Milling as well as other developments in the milling industry will propel farmers to grow maize, and service the local market, as well as export the surplus to the region.

The African Milling New Maize Plant situated along Buyantanshi road in Lusaka
The African Milling New Maize Plant situated along Buyantanshi road in Lusaka

And the Head of State has further urged all millers to emulate African Milling which is not only focusing on milling but also supplying inputs to farmers.

He, however, said he is aware of the players in the market who are hoarding maize under the pretext that they will realize exorbitant prices around January and February next year.

The President indicated that such practices create artificial shortages resulting in high mealie meal prices, and has since advised the perpetrators to desist from doing so as the strategy is prone to fail.

President Lungu said the government is in constant touch with farmers, millers and grain traders through the stocks monitoring committee under the Ministry of Agriculture.

Meanwhile, Chairman for African Milling, Zaeed Patel said the expansion of the milling plant is testimony of the continued support and commitment by African Milling to ensure food security in the country.

He noted that the past few months have been critical and challenging in some parts of the country hence the need for government to work together with other stakeholders in ensuring food security.

And Minister of Agriculture Michael Katambo, said the developments taking place in the milling industry is an indication that farmers should position themselves for increased demand of agriculture produce by millers.

Mr Katambo noted that government through his ministry will continue to facilitate a conducive environment which will include allowing maize exports after satisfying the local requirements.

Lusaka Minister Bowman Lusambo indicated that government is working hard to ensure that the living standards of people in all parts of the country are improved upon.

He noted that the country has continued witnessing such investments in food processing companies especially milling and other sectors due to the good leadership of President Lungu.

 

The African Milling New Maize Plant situated along Buyantanshi road in Lusaka
The African Milling New Maize Plant situated along Buyantanshi road in Lusaka

17 COMMENTS

  1. Under $30 million for a modern million plant that can mill 500 times of maize per day yet Mr lungu and his gang saw fit to spend more than $200 million on 2000 solar hammer mills that can only mill 8 bags each on a good day ??

    Sales commissions are the driving fact is such useless GRZ decisions. How can you spend so much on things that produce only 8 bags on a good day ???

    That is why Zambia is in a very difficult position.

    • Congratulations to the Indians for this plant, but I can’t but think Zambians should be owning such , backed up by GRZ

  2. In a country facing hunger you want to leave the trade in cardinal staple food in the hands of the private sector. And then when prices hit the roof you go back and plead for businesses to reduce price of mealiemeal? Lungu is the dumbest president in the entire Africa.

  3. ….aba beve ba Lungu ni kaya…..what he says and does always differ…his promoting buying from farmers, a good idea at that…but what’s the repercussions on the ground??? High prices of mealie meal…then he turns and says millers should not hold the nation at ransom….kanshi how is his reasoning aai….me I fail to follow and understand what he says and does….same.. Promoting green Zambia… But goes and says its OK for some people to go on and occupy forest 27….

  4. Days of buying cheap maize from FRA are long gone hey? The price of meal millea is high with cheap maize from FRA how expensive will it be when millers start buying expensive maize? He evrn suggests that those unable to buy from farmers should buy from third parties…ai this man is confused. No wonder he failed to run a tarven in chawama. In june he promised that meal mlillie price will drop by December and civil servants will be getting their salaries on time. None of these have happened. Mybe civil servants he was tslking about were ministers. Zambians forget easily.

  5. This is total loss of vision into the drunken oblivion. So what difference does it make if a bag of mealie meal is at K200 in most parts of the country. Nensoni!!!!!
    Disaster!!!

  6. Why happens when the cost of production is high.A common man will suffer.Instead of subsidising the price of ibunga during crisis,have a strategy or contingent plan .A vision and a mission.Becoming a food bank of Africa.As long as it is not hallucination and no thieving,zero corruption,reducing expenditures,cut unnecessary trips and look large entourage

  7. Leave my President to do his job…Even if you continue talking about him,he looses nothing but support from us who love and care for him.The more you talk about him, the more he wins the 2021 elections….CHIKUBABE SEASON

  8. Only thieving beneficiaries of Lungu’s PF are loving and supporting him. Plunderers and hypocrites who have no conscience and no care for humanity. Shame on you that you are looking forward to 2021 to continue damaging our beautiful country which is disappearing from the face of this earth. It pains most of us Zambians to see how our friends and family back there are struggling to come into terms with today’s Zambia. It’s being led by incompetent, uneducated people who have no idea what they are doing or saying.

  9. Days of millers depending on cheap maize from the FRA are long gone-President Lungu.
    This time the job of FRA is to buy maize so that I export to raise campaign fund kaili 2021 is around the corner.

  10. Where is FRA going to get Maize when farmers still have unpaid arrears?
    Just liberalize this Maize thing! Millers are smart! You have just forewarned them and will do their own buying directly from farmers! Moreover, Millers need reliable power supply to produce close to full capacity or the Maize will pile up in the queue! Millers don’t use teeth to grind Maize! Too much government involvement in business is never good for the economy!
    Why does he always want to demonize everything and everybody? People who can’t speak good about others are usually not good people! From the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks! If the heart is full of evil, the mouth will speak evil! If the heart is full of good and love, the mouth will be a fountain of wisdom that build a healthy and prosperous…

  11. So this !mbecile of a president wants millers to reduce prices and in the same breath tells them they can forget about cheap maize from FRA. Is this man mentally ill or what?

  12. Fact: Maize is not indigenous to Zambia but it’s staple food. Fact: Nshima has no nutritional value

  13. Mr Bowman Lusambo,
    Who should we believe. You or the Bank of Zambia Governor? I choose to believe the Governer who is basing his analysis on solid evidence. Not on your rhetoric uterrences bwana!!!! See report below on good leadership of your boss:

    Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into Zambia plummeted by nearly 50 per cent in 2018, mainly on account of significant losses incurred by mining companies who were hit by severe operational challenges in the country, the latest Survey on Foreign Private Investment and Investor Perceptions has revealed.

    Announcing the 2019 Survey on Foreign Private Investment and Investor Perceptions in Zambia in Lusaka, Wednesday, Bank of Zambia (BoZ) Governor Dr Denny Kalyalya disclosed that FDI inflows into the country had dwindled by nearly 50 per cent…

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