With only a week before the close of the maize marketing season, Zambian farmers are selling their crop in panic. This while the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) said it won’t extend grain buying beyond the end of the month, when the marketing season closes. A survey conducted by Africanfarming.com showed…
The retail price of maize in Zambia has dropped from K120/25kg [K4 800/ton] to K73/25kg [K2 920/ton] for white maize, and from K90/25kg [K3 600/ton] to K67/25kg [K2 680/ton] for yellow (brown) maize. President of the Millers Association of Zambia (MAZ) Andrew Chintala said the price drop was due to…
After weeks of silence, Zambian Agriculture Minister Dora Siliya has announced that government will not set the floor price for maize. The minister said the decision is consistent with government’s position to allow farmers to charge what they believe their crop is worth. “What will happen is that government, like…
Millers must invest in solar energy to mitigate the increase in electricity charges, says the Forum Energy Zambia chairperson, Johnstone Chikwanda. Reacting to a request by the Millers Association of Zambia (MAZ) for a preferential tariff, Chikwanda said investment in solar energy was a long-term solution to the exorbitant power…
The Millers Association of Zambia (MAZ) is seeking a preferential electricity tariff lower than the massive 75% imposed by ZESCO. But the Energy Regulation Board (ERB) blamed consumer apathy during the submissions process, saying they had missed the opportunity to make their case. The new ZESCO tariff came into effect…
The National Union of Small-Scale Farmers of Zambia (NUSFAZ) is urging government to lift its maize export ban to avert a grain market crisis. Frank Kayula, NUSFAZ president, said lifting the ban will help provide a solution for the growing problem of a good maize harvest, but poor returns. “There…
A massive proposed price hike by the national power company Zesco, will further escalate mealie-meal prices, says the Millers Association of Zambia (MAZ). Andrew Chintala, MAZ president, said ZESCO’s proposed 75% increase will ultimately result in astronomical prices for mealie-meal. “The moment electricity goes up, there will be an increase…
President Edgar Lungu has taken a swipe at some millers for perpetuating high prices for mealie-meal, despite government’s efforts to reduce prices. Millers, however, blame retailers, saying they are inflating prices and smuggling the commodity to neighboring countries. “Initiatives by government to lower mealie-meal prices are being sabotaged by unscrupulous…
Two employees from the Zambian ministry of agriculture have been arrested in connection with the theft of fertiliser under the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP). It is the first arrest where government officials are directly linked to alleged racketeering schemes. Corruption is believed to be rife in the distribution of…
The Zambian National Farmers Union (ZNFU) dashed consumer hopes for a reduction in mealie-meal prices at the back of a recent deal involving government, millers and grain traders. ZNFU president Jervis Zimba is doubtful that the deal will result in a reduction of mealie-meal prices. He says ZNFU established that…
The Indaba Research Agriculture Policy Institute (IAPRI) has called on Zambia’s Food Reserve Agency to sell maize directly to consumers instead of millers, to stabilise maize prices. FRA should make maize grain available to non-traditional markets at market prices rather than large-scale millers. “FRA should increase sales directly to consumers…
Dora Siliya, Zambian minister of agriculture, has accused maize traders of running a cartel to keep the price of mealie-meal high. This, after a meeting on Thursday, at which the Ministry of Agriculture and the Grain Traders Association (GTA) failed to agree on a price reduction for the staple. Talks…
Amidst rising prices for mealie-meal, the Zambian government has reiterated that the maize export ban would remain in force. Special Assistant to President Edgar Lungu for Press and Public Relations, Amos Chanda, said the continued ban was consistent with the ongoing discussions between the government, the Millers Association of Zambia…
The Zambian Ministry of Agriculture has denied corruption with maize exports. This came after an opposition leader - Dr Saviour Chishimba - had taken to social media and charged that the export of 100,000 tons to Malawi was being corruptly orchestrated by politically-connected individuals in the ruling Patriotic Front (PF).…
The ban on Zambian maize exports was still standing and would remain in place until the government had filled their strategic grain reserves for 2016. “There will not be a single grain of maize exported as long as the FRA does not have 500 000 metric tons of maize,” Amos…
The Millers association of Zambia (MAZ) has urged the government to impose a higher levy on export of raw maize to promote job creation. “Imposing a higher levy from the current 20% to as much as 50% would promote value creation in the maize industry and translate into more job…
Zambia’s inflation rate for November 2016 has improved to a single digit of 8.8 percent from 12.5 percent. But that is hardly good news for consumers because the price of the nation’s staple food has taken an upward swing in the same period. “A comparison of retail prices between October…