HUNGER IS LOOMING - MILENGE MP

MILENGE Member of Parliament, Gystave Chonde has called on Government to consider holding on to maize stocks currently in the satellite depots because it may be needed to be given to the people in view of the looming hunger as a result of the continued dry spells the country is experiencing.

Most parts of the country have been experiencing dry spells since the beginning of the rainy season with the Meteorological Department predicting a longer average to below average rainfall activities in the coming few days .

But Mr Chonde said that hunger is looming in his constituency and other parts of the country with the continued dry spell and that Government through the Ministry of Agriculture and other relevant authorities must quickly intervene to mitigate the looming hunger in the countryside.

He added that people in the country side have found themselves in a difficult position because most of them were not to receive the inputs on time and have now caught up with the dry spell to which most of the plants have dried out and that as a result government must consider rescinding the export of maize.

And the Poultry Association of Zambia (PAZ) is concerned that the continued export of maize and soya beans despite the drought the country is experiencing will cause a shortage of raw materials required in feed formulation.

PAZ executive manager Dominic Chanda has since urged government to start thinking about the anticipated serious shortage of these materials.

Mr. Chanda said there is no alternative to raw materials for poultry feed as previous attempts to use fish meal failed as it proved to be expensive while cassava and soya cake provided a challenge with digestibility for the birds.

He said with the anticipated shortage of raw materials for poultry, consumers should also expect a rise in the prices of poultry products.