President Hichilema Must Apologise and Take Action Against Officers that have Contributed to this Crisis
…food security is national security…
By Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba
I have seen a statement or newspaper advert attributed to the Minister of Agriculture trending disclosing that President Hakainde Hichilema has authorized the importation of both white and yellow maize in the country.
This appears to be part of the measures of the declaration of the disaster and the begging bowl extended seeking $900million from the international community.
For the first time in 30 years, Zambians will be fed yellow nshima!
This matter is so serious that it requires an honest conversation.
1. Government has not officially disclosed that it has depleted the national strategic maize reserves held by the Food Reserve Agency.
2. Government lied that the 2023 harvest was 3.2 million metric tonnes.
Both millers and agro traders disputed the numbers from the Ministry of Agriculture accusing government of doctoring the 2022/2023 results from the crop forecast survey.
In addition, it was
established by the survey results that a total of 219,610 hectares of land under crop production was damaged by the dry spell.
The 2022/2023 season was also characterised by poor and chaotic fertiliser distribution, the outbreak of fall army worms and stalk borers that were reported damaged about 8,021 hectares of cropped land.
In some parts of Zambia, the cassava brown streak disease was reported to have affected
many fields.
In total, the damage caused by flash floods, dry spells and pests affected over 319,611 hectares of farmed land.
Hon. Mutolo Phiri informed Parliament that as at 1st May, 2023, the total carry-over 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 tonnes of maize and that the total stocks of maize was standing at 3.7million metric tonnes.
3. The maize exports continued relentlessly despite the warnings from the sub-sector and associated industries. The accumulated national strategic maize reserves since 2019 was targeted and depleted.
4. In 2023, FEWS NET( the Famine Early Warning Systems Network) which monitors and forecasts acute food insecurity, warned about the impending El Niño weather phenomenon that would hit Southern Africa.
Even as late as November 2023, when Zambia was being warned about the impending dry spell in January and February, 2024, Government was wantonly exporting maize and defending the need for exports to the region.
5. The food prices reached an all time high and mealie-meal has been trading above K320.
6. Here we are now, with the population facing expensive food prices and over 6million people especially the rural population facing famine, President Hichilema has refused to take action against officers that brought us to this unmitigated disaster.
7. We had severe droughts in 2015, 2017 and 2019.
But because Government had adequate stocks in its national strategic reserves, there was no begging or food insecurity that rose. Government did not need to import maize,let alone, yellow maize.
7. Clearly, President Hichilema must take some blame, accept the mistakes made, apologise to the people, and fire those that have caused the food insecurity.
It is at this stage that he may seek stakeholders cooperation and understanding.
Which part of “climate change” does this chap not understand?
Trying to pin the blame on specific individuals will not work. Being in opposition politics doesn’t mean shooting down every thing the ruling party does.
They have provided cheap mealie meal from ZNS and Prison Services. Learn to acknowledge positive developments.
These people are not able to sleep th ed y are very bitter things did not turn up to their expectations. Why are they quiet about the 24m USD .BUT THEY ARE AS LOUD AS CHIMPANZEES DURING MATING SEASON OVER BEES AND A TOILET REPRESENTING A thousand more .!!!!
UKOOOOO! Bahuka NAFUTI – Kuomboka Ceremony which they all were standing on their toes like wild dogs just to scramble for unknown by unleashing very unrespectable language including using some local Lozi youths just to discredit the President is almost over and the program went on very well to their disappointment. Now there are back again with other schemes.
But I don’t know what type of person this man Emmanuel is. I am even wondering if really he represented Zambia at AU ( African Eunion ) as a government employees of course now in invented comma ( ) if not he was serving his own interest. I also sympathize with some of the civil servants who are in our government Offices who always give him information which I assume is on a fee what they feel or enjoy in this man because the man is alwaysZZZZZ on a the negative side of whatever the government is doing. I wonder what type of a leader this one is or could be, in leading people. You can’t lead people always on propaganda and faulty findings NO, NO AYIKONA MAN.
Every time is noise from his mouse, surely awee sure mweeee.
Ok Mr Mwamba forecourt usual rantings. We’re now soooh used that if we don’t hear from you it’s sickening.
Sometimes I really wonder how such people found themselves in government but then again it explains why they left the country in such a terrible mess economically. Mr. Mwamba can’t seem to even use simple logic on straight forward matters. Reports are that over 1 million hectors of maize fields in the country have been affected by the drought meaning almost half of our crop has been affected. The said maize which was exported was the opposition keep lamentatiing about less than a half a million tons meaning even if we didn’t export any maize we still would be faced with the same food crisis and the said maize would not half solved the issue. I don’t know where they are getting the idea that if maize was not exported we would have been food secure when in fact not. Other countries in the region did not export any maize but they are also expecting to experience food crises, e.g. Malawi, Zimbabwe to mention just a few. This crisis is beyond what anyone could have humanly done in such short period of time considering that the country also had debt burden issues on the table.
Right, Emmanuel Mwamba has said it correctly going by this internet tabloid HEAD TITLE. If His Excellency President HH has to sort out whever brought these hardships to Zambians, then all the PF KANGAROOS OR MEMBERS MUST BE ARRESTED FOR THE ECONOMIC MESSY THEY PUT ZAMBIA INTO BY OVER BORROWING KALOBA INTERNATIONALLY AS WELL AS DOMESTICALLY. THINK BEFORE YOU LIP FOOLISH EMMANUEL MWAMBA INSTEAD OF JUST YELLING ABOUT!!!!!!
Emmanuel Mwamba ni mbwa
The opposition must learn that dogs that bark the most seldom bite!
It’s not about how much noise you make that will win you political points!
Trying to use noise to try and hide the unfolding PF mass plunder will not work!
You can’t hide behind your mouth!
If you don’t know how to grow your own maize under irrigation, don’t choose what the government has to organize for you!
Us we have already planted winter Maize and we won’t be selling!
These are the same characters who wish our country bad for their political mileage.They pretend to love Zambians so much yet they played a very serious role in destroying the economy of this country.They over borrowed,they looted, they gassed,they killed,corruption, disturbed the courts,police operations were disturbed,lies through out up to now.They always want to mislead unsuspecting citizens.They want to come back to power so that they mess up again.People know that old habits die hard.They won’t allow cliptomaniacs to come and loot again no more enough is enough.They want to come like missionaries with a bible on the left hand but with ill intensions.