By CHATULA KANGALI –
MILLERS have stopped the importation of B1 quality, high protein content wheat into the country following the availability of the crop on the local market.
Government allowed millers to import 10,000 tonnes of B1 quality wheat following a shortage of the commodity on the local market.
Millers Association of Zambia (MAZ) president Andrew Chintala said in an interview that most millers had stopped importing wheat into the country.
Mr Chintala said that only 5,000 tonnes of the commodity out of the earmarked 10,000 tonnes allowed was imported into the country.
He said the millers had since started buying wheat from local farmers who were currently harvesting the crop.
“We are no longer importing wheat into the country, we are  now buying  the  crop  from our  local  farmers  who have  started harvesting,”  he  said.
Mr Chintala said that   individual   millers have already signed contracts with farmers and that all the wheat   produced   this year was committed.
He said  the  wheat  produced  this season  was  not adequate  for the  next  one  year, hence millers  might  import  the  crop next year.
“We have not yet gotten figures from the Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU), from the  look of things, we  might  import  wheat  next  year  because  what we are importing  currently,  will  last   us  for the next  six  months  or so,” he said.
Mr Chintala said millers were currently buying the local wheat at between US$420 and US$450 per tonnes.