By REBECCA MUSHOTA –
PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu has facilitated the importation of maize to ensure that there is no interruption in the supply of the country’s staple food, the President’s Special Assistant for Press and Public Relations Amos Chanda has said.
Mr Chanda yesterday told the Press that even though the country had sufficient maize grain in reserves, the President had proactively planned for the importation of maize in the event that the country suffered crop failure due to inconsistent rainfall.
He said the country had sufficient maize reserves due to the proper management of grain by President Lungu’s administration.
“Given the ongoing assessment of rainfall, there is cause to assume that there could possibly be a crop failure.
“The President has since planned for the importation of maize as a last resort should there be crop failure,” Mr Chanda said.
He said Mr Lungu, in view of the possible crop failure, had directed relevant institutions to prepare for importation of maize.
The President has directed the Food Reserve Agency (FRA), Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit and the ministries of Agriculture and Finance to prepare for the importation of maize.
Mr Chanda said the country had adequate maize stocks to last up to July or August this year.
The country has 930,000 tonnes of maize in reserves at FRA of which 688,000 tonnes are specifically reserved for the millers to enable them sell maize affordably.
The FRA has in excess of 241,000 tonnes in reserves.
Mr Chanda said the President was speaking with the Zambia National Farmers Union as the first resort to see if it was possible to get an early crop from farmers as early as August.
Contrary to assertions by the United Party for National Development (UPND) that it was due to incompetence of Government that Zambia was now importing maize, Mr Chanda said this was the first season that every maize grain was accounted for without any wastage because of proper management.
He said the World Food Programme had also rated Zambia high on its grain open policy, saying that Zambia was the region’s food basket.
