By CHATULA KANGALI –
THE Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU) has welcomed the move to increase the price of a 50 kilogramme bag of maize by K5 for this year’s crop marketing season.
Millers Association of Zambia (MAZ) has, however, said the increase in the price of maize will have a negative bearing in the production of mealie-meal.
President Edgar Lungu on Monday this week directed the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) to increase the price of maize from K70 to K75 in order to motivate farmers to grow more crops to avert possible hunger next year.
ZNFU spokesperson Kingsley Kaswende said in interview in Ndola that the increase in the price by K5 was a good start adding that farmers were keen to see a further increase in the price.
Mr Kaswende said that farmers had been crying for an increased price in maize which was costly to produce.
“The move to increase the price by K5 is a good start. Farmers are happy with it but they want the price of the cash crop to be increased further. Farmers have always wanted a 50 kilogramme of maize to be fetching at least K100,” he said.
Mr Kaswende added that the price of farming inputs and transportation was high and that farmers were currently making minimal profit from the sale of maize.
MAZ president Allan Sakala said in an interview that the increase in the price of maize by K5 will increase the cost of producing mealie-meal which was already high.
Mr Sakala said the increase would result in the price of mealie-meal going up.
Zambia Consumer Association (ZACA) information and publicity secretary Juba Sakaka said in an interview that the increase in the price of maize would motivate farmers to grow more maize.