By CHATULA KANGALI  –
THE Millers Association of Zambia (MAZ)  has said the liberalisation  of the  maize  floor  price  would  bring  about stability and sanity in the  supply  of  maize  on the local market.
On Thursday  last week  President Edgar Lungu announced that  Government would  not dictate  the  maize  floor  price   next year  but  that would  leave it  up  to  farmers  and the  market forces.
MAZ president Andrew Chintala said in an interview that the liberalisation of the maize floor price was long overdue.
Mr Chintala said the determination of the floor price by farmers themselves and market forces would promote stability in the pricing of maize product such as mealie meal and stock feed.
“ Zambia is a  liberalised  economy, it  good  that  Government  will   not  fix  the  maize  floor  price next year  but will instead allow  farmers and the market forces to do so.
“This is a welcome development as   we have been crying for this for a long time now,” he said.
Mr Chintala said that with the liberalisation of the price of maize, there will be no distortions in the pricing of the commodity.
He said   the dictation  of  maize floor  prices  of maize  by  the  market  forces would also  allow  millers  to buy  more   maize  and in  turn  produce  more   mealie   meal  which  can be  exported  and  earn  the country  foreign exchange.
Mr Chintala said the liberalisation of the   maize price would   further enable farmers and millers   plan well.
“It is  good  that  farmers will  have  to fix  their  own  price  according  to  the cost  of production. The fixing of the maize floor price by Government had been disadvantaging some farmers,” he said.