Government Exporting Maize and Mealie-meal to the Great Lakes Region
Minister of Defence Hon.Ambrose Lwiji Lufuma informed the nation that Government had received an upfront payment of $15million towards a $50million export mealie-meal deal with the Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC). He also informed the country that the Government had received similar requests from other countries in the sub-region.
And in his statement to Parliament delivered on 7th June 2023, Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Mtolo Phiri stated that the Crop Forecast Results for 2022/2023 Agricultural Season and the 2023/2024 Crop Marketing arrangement, the number of small and medium scale farming households that planted various crops increased ( despite false assertions by President Hichilema) has increased to 2,534,311 from 1,756,340, recorded in the 2021/2022 agricultural season.
He also stated that from 1st May, 2023, the total carryover stocks held by farmers, millers, grain traders and the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) was 450,891 metric tonnes with expected production of 3,261,686 metric making the total stocks of maize available in this marketing season to 3,712,576 metric tonnes.
To this extent, he claims that the country has recorded a maize surplus of 470,379 metric tonnes.
The food balance sheet further indicates that the total maize required for a projected population of 20.4
million for both human and industrial consumption and other commitments is about 3,242,197 metric tonnes. Overall, the country has a surplus of 209,722 metric tonnes of maize equivalent.
He emphasised that the nation is, therefore, assured that the country will remain food secure in the foreseeable future for as long as vices such as smuggling are managed.
These figures given by Mtolo have been syrongly disputed by various experts and stakeholders and the maize grain availability is more dire than stated.
PROMOTING FOOD INSECURITY
Despite repeated government assurances, the State has been in the forefront of undermining food security. Government has embarked on wanton export of national strategic maize grain reserves depleting stocks from a dedicated 6months reserves to one-month supply.
With the shortage of maize in the country and high mealie-meal prices, one would expect Government to be serious about food security than perpetrate its insecurity.
Rest be assured that the next farming season will recorded poor yield because of the failure to conclude the tender regarding purchase, supply and distribution of Urea (top dressing) fertiliser and the anticipated El Nino weather phenomenon.