MAIZE PRICING
Newly appointed economic ministers have to hit the ground running because the demand envisioned by President Edgar Lungu is broad, FARMERS multi-sectoralmust be sighing and with of reliefan urgencyover yesterday’sthat demandsrevelation that immediatePresident Edgar attention Lungu to was even privy theto the kcreyelanodfolaumreenctaotnioonmoyf .farmers over this year’s maize maTrhketindge, cplartaictuiolanrlsy coovenrcethreniunngilatleorcaal l prpicreo-andnouucntciveditbyy, tphre oFtoeocdtiRoenserovfe Alogecnacly i(nFdRuAs).try and enThhaant ctheemPerenstidoefntphraosdfuoucntdiointfictatpoacssiutiresclmerugysmt en bofehsiseeconncienrnthoveercothnetmexatizoe fprgicreowrianngglexstheorwnsahlow pserreiosussutrhe itshsuaet ishianssomfardaes fZoaodmsbeciauraitydisucmonpcienrgned. grWouenadre osuf remtahnaty Pprersoideunct tLsutnhguatwcilol ublrdingvearllythe easily parties be and produced stakeholder by involvedlocal industry.in the agriculture sectorO, eusrpenceiaigllyhbmoauizresfianrmZeirms btoaabwroeunhdavtaebgleratospfiend an the amicable nettle, solution. painful as it may be, by restricting imTphoerPtrsetshidernet’bs ydebcriseioanchtoinmgodsoermate ionftthheewtrraandglee as panrnootuonccoelds,bybuhits tshpiesciawl assiisntaenvtiftoarbpleresisnaondrdpeurblic to relations raise Amos productivityChanda is anda relief in to the the process farming save community. jobs.
WTheis hfoalvloewendo Psriegsindiefinct aLnutngpuo’lsicmyeeitninitgiawtiivthesthe serving Evangelical either Fellowship goal. of Zambia (EFZ) clergy who paid a courtesy call on him at State House yesterday. It was
The country is awash with imported commodities good that the President touched on the ongoing controversy of highly dubious origin. We even regarding the price of maize. had to import milk from Europe when our
The argument is simple and yet fundamental. The FRA, local dairy industry was drowning as a earlier in the year announced a purchase price that was result of poor pricing and constricted value outrageously unrealistic. It did not make economic sense addition. that a farmer must sell a 50-kilogramme bag of maize for
The Ministry of Commerce must take K60 when it cost him on average K85 to produce. an immediate audit of the production capacities
The FRA claimed its suggested price was based on in the mining area where we enjoy market forces given that Zambia has this year produced an advantage due to human capital and a bumper harvest. If anything the farmer was being punished existence of plant capacities. for producing a bumper crop.
There is no reason why the mines should To make matters worse, FRA appeared to be intransigent import steel balls while our local industries to reason, saying it would not review the K60 per producing50-kg maize pricethe that sameit had have arrived been at. allowed to close Pleas down.for a review This from does key not stakeholdersmake sense. like the Zambia There National is Farmersno reason Union why (ZNFU) value did not additionsway the factoriesFRA. If anything using ZNFU copper president, and Mr Jervis other Zimba local was pvirliofideducfotrs spesahkoinugldout acglaoinsest thde opwricne whbicehc,ahuesseaid, cwhaes atapkinimg tphoe rntastiofnrodomwnSaoduetshtruActfivreicpaathr.eceive a Igt owvaes randmesternutctirve bpatthei,n wthhe iscenhsemthatkceosmeththeemnext cfahremaipngersecaosmonp,faarremdertoswouourldowabnalnodcoanl mpraoizde ugcrotsw.ing beWcauesemituwstoufildndnont ebge optrioafittianbgle.skTihlleslotongp-treermsernetsult oisuorbvciaouses. wTihtehsino-cCaOlleMd EbuSmApearncdroSpAwDoCuldtofinsitsohpand sthuebresiwdoiusleddbge ono dmsaifzreotmo crflyoaobdouint bgeocauursemthaerrke ewtosuld anontdbethaneyreonbythepmutatriknegt. into serious peril our fleIdt gtalkinesgaclaopt aofcihtayr.d work for a farmer to produce his croIpnotrhwisharteegvaer dunadlesrotaokuinrg ponuebilsiicnovoffilvcederins.mItuwsotuld nottdboethgeivneatniornoaonmy gof odr icfothrerufaprtmioernswtoerperforuvsitdraeted luonodperhtohleesprfeotrexcthoefalepttiimngp“omratsr.ket forces” dictate the prTichese. reIfisanyothdiongu,bFtRaAndhnasofqaiuleeds tioocnotnhvaintctehaensyeone iomn phowrttsheoyf asruribvsedidaitsethde gKo6o0dpsriacereforaua t5h0o-krgisbeadg of wmiatihzei.n the ministries to the detriment of the naTthioisnisbbeecausseethseormeaerehtawnodgsrohuapvseofbfeaermn eorisle–dth. ose unTdhera thies wFahrymelirtsreInspouft cSouopkpoinrtg Poriolgcroamulmdefi(nFdISP) twhheoirowbtaiyninsutobsZidaismedbiaagrwichuiltluerlaol cianlpputrso, dauncderthsose sfatrmugergslewdhotogegt ethtemir ainrpkuettssa.t commercial rates. Simply puTt,htheobsue sniont eusnsdaerpFpIrSoPalcohstloauitd. out in President LuWnhgiule’sit ins aunudgeurrstalndsapbele cthatsFpReaAkassaofGoinvedrunms-ent targieanlciyzahtaisonto oapnerdateawgirthicinulbtudrgeet pdaervaemloetperms eans t set tohurt obuy gthe Minindiisgtreynoizf aFtiinoanceo,tfheinrevaelistytmisetnhatt fianrmsercsiehnavcemanorde tsercihounsonloeggaytitvhe rdoyunagmhircsesasesaorcciahte.d with theHirecohsat sof epmropduhcatisoinz.ed that in order to selfsuFsRtaAindooeus rnoetcoprnoodmucye wmeaizme uansdt fiyretstitps rdoedciusicoen to lporcicael,prboduuyctlionc alc,teudsaes aloflcoaolr parnicdetthheerenbyedxipsaodrvtanmtagoinreg.farmers.
TWheeaoprpdreecriacteouthladtnitomt hayavbe bvereyndainffiycuslitmtoplcehra.nge Ithteisprsiuceccminidcstr,eparme,cniseveear nthde tleossthwe pexopienct.that a suitabOlenpoltichyefradmreawoirnkgcanbobearstdrucitturepsrtomeniasbelse thtoe resmuacincienegdb,ublkutofamctauizaeliwzaitthiothne tfharmouergshtotebcehmnairckaelted einxaecmuotnioeynthwaitlwl idlleetnesrumreianefaitrhreetsuurnccfoerssthoeifr tehffiosrt. plIatnw.illAnnodt dtohtios liesavwe hfaerrmeerasllhitghheamndindriystbeercsauinse of thee seoccoianl oamndicecfioenlodmmicucsotstputhtatthweilrl breessutlto. ffiThceeresalityogisethaetrfatormcehras rctouantreycwoidneoamreicanpgartyh.Tt haistawngilelr is bparlipnagblseyannedrngoy atomoutnhteorfwpirsoepadgiasnpdaarabytetheeffFoRrAts.will assOuuagreciot.untry has the potential capacity and inOdeuer dfailhuruemhasnalwcaypsitbaelentoonoaucrhinieavbeilitygrtoeagitveerthe efacromneorsmaincagttoralcstivbeuptroicneltyhaiftmalolttivhaetees ffthoermtstoareeach choigmhebrihneeigdhtisn. a common purpose, the first ofAwghooicdhexwamilpl lbe eis tcottiodnepnrtoidfyucthioons. eApferwodyeuacrtssa,go, sZearmvbiciaeshaadnadthgroivoindgscothttaont smecutosrt wbheichprhoads unocwedcollaopcsaeldlyb.ecause farmers received a raw deal when it came to Lporicainlge. nItrweopurlednteakuersahloipt omf cuosntvbinecisnugptopomratkeedthe asmltahlol-sucgahle ftahrims erwsoruesludmbe egraotwiang ccoosttonbeacftaeur steheir sboitmtereecxopmeripenacnei.es including parastatals thrive onMiamizpe oisratspofrliotimcal wcrhopic, hthethreefoyrecraenaymefforfft aht uregfeorm profits.must be viewed with a long term perspective. Any shortcuTtshwisill mhauvestdisbaestrsotuospepffecdt. Wanedmussttolpeaprendfroi m-pomlitiecdaliahtisetloyr.y.