Government says its policy on liberalizing the airwaves in the country is paying the dividends as can be seen by the proliferation of privately owned radio and televisions stations.

Information and of Broadcasting Services Minister, Ronnie Shikapwasha has since commended the private sector for their contributions towards the growth of media in the country.

Lt General Shikapwasha who is also Chief Government spokesperson said this after a conducted formalization tour of Lusaka based radio and television stations in Lusaka today.

Stations he visited include Muvi TV, Radio Christian Voice , Mobi TV and Central Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)

He urged media institutions to expeditiously put in place measures and programmes as the world goes digital by the year 2015.

Lt General Shikapwasha reiterated government’s commitment in enacting progressive media laws in a bid to enhance the dissemination of information which he said was a catalyst for social and economic development of the country.

He has since promised the media institution that government will soon take back the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) to parliament , which he said once operational would enhance the issuance of licences to media in widening their coverage .

Muvi Television Managing Director, Steve Nyirenda, said there was need for government and stakeholders to scale up public sensitization campaigns on electric appliances which will become irrelevant as the country goes digital in 2015.

Mr. Nyirenda who is also the station proprietor, said the station has already procured some equipment abroad in view of the world’s switch from analogy to digital.

And at Christain Voice , the Minister was impressed with investment at the station that included the living quarters which he said was contributing to reduction on cost on members of staff.

At Muvi TV, the minister was also impressed with the programming and their in-house training for members of staff.

ZANIS

Major mining companies on the Copperbelt have shunned this year’s on-going Zambia International Trade Fair in Ndola.

A check by ZANIS at the trade fair grounds confirmed the mining companies’ absence at the fair and their stand at which they collectively exhibit under the umbrella of the Zambia Chamber of Mines has since been taken by the Communications Authority of Zambia.

And Zambia International Traded Fair General Manager, Johnson Mwenya, also confirmed the absence of the mining sector, the country’s economic backbone.

Speaking in an interview with ZANIS in Ndola today, Mr Mwenya said the mining companies are not exhibiting at this year’s trade fair because their council had only approved their participation at the Kitwe Agricultural and mining show where they participated.

Mr Mwenya, however, said the mining companies have not indicated whether they have permanently withdrawn their participation at the ZITF or they will participate in the future coming fairs.

He, however, said that even if they had not participated, they have given the ZITF support which shows that they still appreciate the trade fair.

He hoped that the mining sector would participate in the future trade fairs.

This is the first time the major mining companies have shunned the trade fair and some members of the public talked to by ZANIS attributed the mining companies’ absence at the trade fair to the global economic crunch that had badly hit their sector.

This year’s international trade fair begun yesterday and will run until Tuesday next week under the theme ‘Investing in Infrastructure for Competitiveness’.

ZANIS

The Zambia Agency for Persons with Disability (ZAPD) is still scouting for about K15 billion to start revamping its farms in various parts of the country.

The main farms that need revamping are Kangonda and Kambowa on the Copperbelt, Mitutukuko in North Western , Mimofa in Lusaka and Linda in Southern Province .

Others are Kazembe and Mushota in Luapula, Chitonkene in North Western Province Masaiti and Sisenge on the Copperbelt.

ZAPD Acting Director General Charles Mwape told ZANIS in an interview that there was need for other stakeholders to come on board and assist the agency in raising the required money.

Dr. Mwape said ZAPD has for long time now been appealing to other stakeholders but none has come on board to assist the agency .

He said government and ZAPD alone cannot manage to raise the required money hence the need for partnership with other stakeholders.

The ZAPD Acting Director said once ZAPD is assisted with the required money the agency would ensure that the money was used for the intended purpose.

Dr. Mwape observed that once the farms are revamped more employment would be created among people that live near the farms.

He said it was for this reason that ZAPD wants the farms to be revamped so that they can empower the unemployment.

ZANIS

The Food Reserve Agency (FRA) says that it will not extend this year’s marketing period, despite starting the exercise late in buying maize from farmers.

FRA Public Relations Manager, Mwamba Siame said the agency will not extend the period because the exercise started at the right time.

Mrs. Siame said that even farming activities have shown that June was too early to start buying maize from farmers as many of them were still harvesting and packaging their maize.

“Farmers activities have shown that June is too early and as for today the agency has not recorded reports of any farmers being turned away” she said.

Mrs. Siame said this to ZANIS in Lusaka yesterday in response to a press query.

Mrs. Siame also said the agency has not purchased any maize from farmers since the agriculture marketing season started last on June 1, 2009, because maize from most parts of the country still has high moisture content due to late rains.

Mrs. Siame has meanwhile assured farmers in remote rural areas that the Food Reserve Agency will buy all their maize during this marketing season.

She said the agency will provide market accessibility to the disadvantaged farmers who are very far from the main towns.

Government this year allocated K100 billion for the purchase of about 150,000 metric tones of white maize from small scale farmers.

ZANIS

THE Millers Association of Zambia (MAZ) has denied accusations that its members are buying maize at K35,000 per 50 kg bag saying it did not discuss the purchase of maize with its members.

MAZ president Caleb Mulenga said in a statement yesterday that each miller was responsible for procuring their maize in accordance with their ability to pay for raw material in line with their cost structures.

Mr Mulenga said that the K65,000 per kg bag of maize is the price at which the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) was willing to pay for the maize.

FRA was just one of the buyers on the market and others included grain traders, individuals and millers leaving farmers and sellers of maize at liberty to sell to any buyer who offered a better price.

He said last year, millers offered a much higher price than that of the FRA but there was no talk of millers creating a cartel to buy maize at a higher price than the FRA.

Mr Mulenga said while millers were accused of fixing the maize price, there was no corresponding accusation of farmers fixing the price at K65,000.

“We do not believe that any MAZ member is buying maize at the alleged price of K35,000,” he said.

On Tuesday the Zambia Competition Commission (ZCC) said that it was investigating millers for creating a cartel to enable them buy maize at as low as K35,000.

Meanwhile, FRA spokesperson, Mwamba Siame said yesterday that the agency did not buy any maize in June despite the launch of the crop marketing season at the start of the month.

Mrs Siame said in Lusaka that the FRA bought produce for lengthy storage periods for use in case of shortages, price stabilisation and relief purposes and as such it needed to be bought in the right conditions.

She said the FRA would preferably buy grade A crop with 12.5 per cent, which was the internationally recommended standard for the tropical regions to which Zambia belonged.

Chisamba Member of parliament Moses Muteteka in Lusaka yesterday said the FRA should get on the ground and explain what their problem was.

He said as long as the FRA did not register its presence on the ground, millers and other traders would continue to exploit small-scale farmers and that would have a devastating impact on maize production in the coming crop season.

[Times of Zambia]