By DELPHINE ZULU –
GOVERNMENT has urged stakeholders not to panic over the anticipated poor maize harvest due to the poor weather pattern in some parts of the country as there are enough maize stocks in reserve to last for two years.
Secretary to the Treasury, Fredson Yamba said maize had a lifespan of over two years and going by the bumper harvests the country had been experiencing; the nation was assured of enough maize stocks.
.YAMBA
Mr Yamba said the onus was on the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) to ensure that the stocks were well kept.
Regardless of the poor rainfall pattern, Government would have to purchase maize depending on the recommendation from the outcome of the maize survey.
Mr Yamba said the FRA would have to make it clear after the survey on whether it would buy 500,000 tonnes or less, offload what it already has or retain part of what it has for strategic purposes.
“The onus really is on FRA, it will advise on the next move, either to buy, retain part of it from the reserves or offload because the maize lifespan lasts for three years, so what is there can be consumed this year and next year,” Mr Yamba said.
Mr Yamba made the remarks during a joint Press briefing with International Monetary Fund (IMF), mission team leader, Tsidi Tsikata at his office in Lusaka on Tuesday.
Various stakeholders and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock would have to meet and agree on terms of the final quantum that to be bought taking into account what is already in stock to avoid wastage.
Mr Yamba has since called on the private sectors to actively participate in the on going crop survey because their input was vital in the future planning of the agriculture sector in the country.
Mr Yamba said the private sector should actively participate in the crop survey being undertaken and give Government a clear position of the situation as they were major players in the maize business.
He said the crop survey should be taken seriously so that it could come up with sustainable resolutions that would help Government implement workable policies that would benefit the people of Zambia and farmers at large.
