The Zambia National Service (ZNS) in Chililabombwe have impounded a truck carrying 1200 bags of mealie meal which was about to be smuggled into the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
And Chililabombwe District Commissioner Roy Ngosa has warned people involved in smuggling activities via Chililabombwe that an anti-smuggling task force in the district is working round the clock to curb the vice.
The Tanzanian Truck bearing registration number T628 BDV carrying Bwino mealie meal brand of Kitwe’s Chimwemwe Township was intercepted at Konkola checkpoint along the Chililabombwe –Kasumbalesa main road.
ZNS Copperbelt Commanding Officer Chishala Mulenga said the truck which was intercepted on Saturday night was purportedly carrying mining equipment into the DRC when it was actually mealie meal laden.
“So far, we have intercepted three Tanzanian trucks. It is a cartel as the trucks have fake ZRA seals from the same batch. I want to warn all the drivers of the containerized trucks that we shall be opening the seals,“ he intimated.
Lt. Col. Mulenga appealed to the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) to investigate the matter as other goods besides mealie meals may be smuggled in the same manner depriving the country of revenue.
He said the officers became more suspicious after the driver of the truck attempted to bribe them with US $ 150 prompting them to summon ZRA officers to facilitate the opening of the seals for the truck.
The driver who pretended to be cooperative to the officers managed to escape leaving the truck and the mealie meal at the checkpoint.
Meanwhile, Mr Ngosa said the fact that three trucks attempting to smuggle mealie meal into the DRC have been intercepted within a month is an indication that efforts being made to curb smuggling are bearing fruit.
The District Commissioner, who praised the men and women in uniform, said there is a suspected syndicate in mealie meal smuggling as all the recently impounded trucks were of Tanzanian origin.
As long as there’s a demand for mealie meal in the DRC and the Zambian authorities don’t move to legalize its trade between the 2 countries smuggling will always exist. The UNIP Govt failed to fight smugglers. Please look at this as a business opportunity and not a crime. We’re losing an opportunity to make money. Maize farmers wallow in poverty because they’re paid peanuts by FRA, please allow them to legally export mealie meal to the DRC where the market is good. This attitude has caused Luapula province to be the most under-developed province because people aren’t even allowed to carry a 50kg bag of maize through the DRC to the Copperbelt. Luapula has an abundance of water and good soils. My appeal to Mwata Kazembe is to lobby Govt on behalf of his people or to defy this styopet…
For once I agree with Ayatollah on legalizing trade in maize and it’s products( mealie meal, bran, Meal No. 3, maize grit etc. with Congo DR. It would make Maize farming lucrative. Attracting emergent Medium farmers. Those able to produce 1000 to 5000 bags x 50kg. In my opinion these are the farmers Govt should target and give subsidized farming in puts (FISP) – with a legalized market system. These will in turn benefit more by exporting mealie meal to other countries like Malawi, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Mozambique to mention but afew. Where is the Farmer’s Union? These are things you need to discuss and not price fixing only, which has disadvantaged the farmers.
This is a Sign that,Government should start exploring that market,finished products we’ll bring the much needed revenue into the country,as opt to just exporting maize.We’re a landlocked country for crying out loud,and much is expected of us.God Bless Mother Zambia
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@1 I totally agree with you. Smuggling is not a problem to Zambia at all. To the contrary, smuggling is a sure confirmation that there is a business opportunity in DR Congo for especially Zambia which is an immediate and favourable neighbour to DR Congo. In fact Malawi, Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, etc with huge business opportunities in all types of processed grain. Smuggling is not an evil thing to Zambia. It’s a blessing to Zambia.
The question is, what MUST Zambia do in order to legalise and normalise export of grain between these neighbouring countries?
…The question is, what MUST Zambia do in order to legalise and normalise export of grain between these neighbouring countries?
Zambia through the public company called (Zambia)-IDC as the only mandated corporate entity to formulate companies using public funds, MUST establish (construct) gigantic Multi-Purpose Milling Plants in border towns of Mwense, Chipata, Kalundu, Kazungula-(village), Nakond, etc to handle the processing of all types of grain into finished grain products primarily for export to all the neighbouring countries of Zambia. Zambia MUST not export un processed raw materials (it be minerals or agricultural produce. It is SIMPLY a shere waste of resources invested into the production of these raw materials. Additionally and seriously, we are SIMPLY exporting millions of…
Zambia is very well positioned for Trade, just image if we had Great Hospitals with Best Doctors, I don’t see a reason why High Profile Individuals from these countries would fly over into SA for medical attention, Same is true with Agriculture, Biggest milling planet, would mean;, Mealie Meal Export into DRC,TANZANIA,MOZABIQUE,EVEN SUDAN.I feel we have ourselves to blame for not exploring these Markets for the past 56 years now!
I love Zambia, and always pray that the potential that this country has may be realized
…we are SIMPLY exporting millions of jobs where these raw materials are processed into real finished products/items. Because these industries are the main employers of multitudes…
Now What are the other parts to achive this?
ZAMBIA’S- IDC MUST Create sizable example pilot farms of all grain types ranging from maize,wheat, sorghum, barley, millets, etc. The bulk of the production of these grains MUST be left in the now empowered out-growers who may be in form of formed up cooperatives or/and individual farmers around those gigantic high capacity handling IDC milling plants dotted in all eight border towns. The government MUST quickly formulate a deliberate policy to empower all these farmers around these GIGANTIC MILLING PLANTS in order for them to massively produce all types of…
Yep
…GIGANTIC MILLING PLANTS in order for them to massively produce all types of grains.
PRIORITY STARTING BORDER TOWNS:
MWENSE
KASUMBALESA is already chocked with trucks mainly from South Africa into DR Congo (using our hard earned roads). The most seriou smuggling activities is between Zambia and DR Congo. Opening up another route for entry into Congo will decongest Kasumbalesa. Already, Kasomeno – Mwenda toll road and Luapula Bridge project, is in offing. This route is more accessible to DR Congo’s mineral-rich Katanga Province than Kasumbalesa and once the road has been constructed it should take less than three hours of driving to reach Lubumbashi the capital of Katanga Province…
… less than three hours of driving to reach Lubumbashi the capital of Katanga Province.
WHY SHOULD ZAMBIA PRIORITISE DR CONGO THAN OTHER OTHER NEIGHBOURING COUNTIES?
1 Simply because it is a huge market and I will give you one practical example as to (why?):
DR Congo spends around US$3BILLION for the importation of food stuff from (you are wrong not Zambia) Brazil. Plains fly from Brazil into DR Congo ladden with processed grains, beef (Kafula aibentoshi- or fraybentos) and many more. Look it is being stvpid for Zambia to just watch Brazilian planes overflying Zambia laden with thing we can grow and process into DR Congo- I don’t know what you think yourself. Somehow I totally agree with ECL’s sidestepping of economists and have a meeting with the business community inthe CB at…
… inthe CB at Levy Stadium quite recently. Economists are just theorising- ECL said something like that.
So, taking up serious farming (especially of all grain types) in the Luapula Province and processing for export to DR Congo will help DR Congo stop spending such colossal amount of money and Zambia taking t)e share of just a few hundreds of millions of US Dollars- more than enough for Zambia.
2. DR Congo cannot get into serious agriculture because (again you are wrong. Not because of bilimba) of the country being a serious rain forest with many volcanic mountain peaks. Congo is waterlogged and with very thick forests covering probably more than 75% of the country. They would like to farm but landscape conditions are prohibitive…
…3. There are very few towns connected by roads. Mainly, in DR Congo, to travel from one city/town to another city/town you have to go by plane. That means even shipping food from one place to others you have to ship them by aircraft. You can’t do business like that- It is almost impossible. But Zambia can ship PROCESSED FOOD to Katanga Province- the distribution of that food to various parts of DR Congo is not Zambia’s cup of tea. While at the same time Zambia can manage to ship food stuff by planes to Kinshasa the capital of DR Cong at a very downgraded cost as compared to DR Congo importation of food stuff from Brazil. Again the distribution of food exports to various adjacent towns to Kinshasa is no cup of tea for Zambia- Congo takes over.
…4. Congolese people are world class entertainers. There music is highly professional and undescribably sweet. They are world class artists. You can’t take that away from the Congolese. They are simply superb. So, let them concentrate on doing what they know best. Let us feed them after they have composed and danced to their own music whole- tired and sturving.
5. DR Congo is a mineral rich country than any country in the world. That is why the USA takes advantage and always set them at war against each other as Congolese people while America steaals their minerals in broad day light. So, trust me Congolese even if given proper farming conditions will never farm but fight each other. That’s what America has done to them. So, while our brothers and sisters fight- we can also find an…
Wise timing! I was thinking of establishing large warehouses at the border crossing, where farmers or Millers would take their merchandise for sale. Allow the Congolese or Zimbabweans or Malawians buy at competitive prices and the get their money in forex. Just something simple legalized trade.
…, while our brothers and sisters fight- we can also find an opportunity to feed them so that they have more energy to fight again- joke, I really don’t like war.
CONCLUSION
ZAMBIA’S proximity cause is so advantageous and just with feeding DR Congo Zambia wouldn’t need IMF or World Bank death sentence Loans.
What I have written above is contained in my research work report of how Zambia can develop after 5 year of implementing certain things. And why Zambia does NOT need IMF and World Bank. Zambia can get funds free of charges from some sources I am not ready to disclose now. I will give priority to our government first before my recommendations are put in public domain.
Bye for now and thanks for reading my text.
United Milling Company at Kasompe in Chingola has the capacity to mill any grain and produce from mealie meal, macaroni, flour, name it to feed the entire SADC region but it’s now a white elephant because our brainless politicians can’t take advice. They only begin to think when they’re out of power. It’s obvious that they can’t be interested because they’ll not receive commissions and kickbacks from such ventures. They want overpriced roads, shame!
Zambia sure … whats wrong just to arrange bags in tens so you can easily count? Everything is so mess, just like in their minds.
Great stuff. We shall distribute to disadvantaged people in our community. Mwa gwila nchito
Where are the people we pay to be doing this job? Why did it have to take the ZNS to discover this crime? Anyway, I’m sure we all know nothing will happen if the owners of this meali meal are connected to that guy from Chimwemwe.
Any apparent or potential problem presents a silver lining. What FRA needs to do now is to set a a commercial wing that would explore the possibility of buying more maize from the Zambian farming community and sell it or export it to earn the much needed revenue for the benefit of the whole country. The tax from the maize would be utilised towards national development. If not then we need to have a controlled export by all who can, the only snag is that there will be a problem of control given the amount of cheating in these borders. So for the state to beneefit fully from this national resource that is heavily subsidised the Govt through FRA should be tasked to be the sole exporter of grain and processed grain products such as mealie meal, samp etc.