lacklisting o defiant millers welcome Z

NATIONAL Union for Small-Scale Farmers of Zambia (NUSFAZ) has applauded government for its decision to blacklist some millers who accessed subsidised maize from the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) but failed to reduce mealie meal.

Speaking in an interview with Daily Nation in Lusaka yesterday, NUSFAZ president, Frank Kayula, said it was good that government had decided to blacklist some millers as they were being stubborn.

“We are very happy the government has taken this step,” Dr Kayula said.

He observed that it was wrong for some people or companies to work to ensure that the government failed in its quest to serve the people.

“We need things to work well and it is good that they have been punished,” he said

Dr Kayula urged Government to ensure that the millers to be blacklisted did not ever access subsidised maize from the FRA.

Mwanwhile, Ministry of Agriculture Permanent Secretary, Sangowayo Zyambo has reiterated that the millers were to blame for the high mealie meal prices as they were accessing subsidised maize while failing to reduce commodity prices as per agreement.

He said that the decision to subsidise the maize was meant to cushion the consumers but that as things stood, it was only the millers who were benefitting.

Mr Zyambo warned that millers exploiting consumers risked being blacklisted from accessing FRA maize for a period of two years.

“The millers who have accessed FRA maize are being unfair because that maize is meant to cushion the consumer, especially the vulnerable people.

It is not meant to subsidise the business of the millers but now they are the ones benefitting,” he said. Mr Zyambo said the policy on the subssubsiding of maize through FRA would have to be relooked at to make it viable and ensure it succeeded. He said the ministry was determined to look at the mealie meal issue critically and that it would meet relevant stakeholders to rectify the situation.