By Peter Sinkamba
COLLECTION AND TRANSPORTATION OF MAIZE BOUGHT BY THE UPND GOVERNMENT FROM TANZANIA IS A DISGUSTING SCANDAL
In June this year, Zambia bought 650,000 tonnes of maize at the cost US$250 million from Tanzania to help reduce food shortages caused by drought. The maize is expected to feed about 7 million people in Zambia that were assessed to be at great risk of starvation. The agreement must be implemented within a period of eight months.
Government paid for 190,000 tonnes equivalent to US$73 million. The amount that Government not yet paid is about US$177 million.
What is shocking is that in the last two month only 2,000 of the 190,000 tonnes have been collected by Government and transported to Zambia. This implies that 188,000 tonnes of the already paid for maize remains marooned in Tanzania.
Going by this level of collection, it means it will take at least 16 months (almost two years) to collect the already paid for maize. And it will take 54 months (almost 4 years) to collect 650,000 tonnes.
Clearly, this demonstrates lack of seriousness on the part of the UPND government. They do not care what happens to the people of Zambia even if they starve to death.
It is extremely worrying that due to the snail’s pace of collecting and transporting the maize to Zambia, our neighbour Tanzania has been placed in very frustrating jeopardy situation because there is no proper storage where to store the new crop being bought from the farmers. This is their marketing season for buying maize. It is now feared that their new crop will go to waste. Let us not export our mediocrity to our neighbours.
Sadly, all this mess has come about because of the hopeless deal that the Disaster Management Unit struck with First Quantum Mineral to use the company’s trucks coming from Dar-es-Salaam to carry the maize. Who does such on food security matters? How can a government surrender lives of its citizens to subsist on the whims of a private company? It is so disgusting that we have sunk so low as a nation on serious matters on national survival.
We demand that the UPND Government get serious on this matter and quickly engage either Zambian or Tanzanian trucking companies to promptly collect and transport the maize to Zambia. The whole 650,000 tonnes of maize can be collected and transported to Zambia within two months if only government is serious.
Sir, you are saying it us disgusting to rely on the whims of a private company,you then say the contract should be given to tanzanian or Zambian companies.So uou are saying that these Zambian/tanzanian companies are not private companie. Your statements,to me, seem to be illogical. I would further suggest that First Quantum is in fact a public company.
There comes someone with knowledge. Since when did first quantum became a public company?.
May i suggest a simple exercise remove your digit and Google first Quantum mining, it will list the shareholders
To you everything is a scandal, do you know what a scandal is? give the government chance to work, ulesabaila fye, you are time waster.