IMPORTING TO EXPORT IS MIND BOGGLING, SAYS GIVEN LUBINDA
…He who plays with the people’s staple food cannot be considered patriotic and I just want to remind all of us that a hungry man is an angry man says PF Vice-President, Given Lubinda
PATRIOTIC Front (PF) Vice-President, Given Lubinda says the opposition political party will not sit idly by and watch Zambians consume Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) mealie-meal that can potentially be harmful to health.
Mr Lubinda accused Government of allegedly resorting to mealie-meal imports instead of maize grain in order to bring GMO into the country.
“What is mind boggling is that in the midst of this shortage, the UPND through its Minister of agriculture Mtolo Phiri has decided to continue exporting maize while pushing traders to start importing mealie-meal from South Africa. They are even saying we shall import and then export.
“To go to South Africa and import mealie-meal from South Africa then you bring it here and then sell it to the Democratic republic of Congo. Are you sure the traders in South Africa won’t sell directly to Congo?” Mr Lubinda wondered.
He stated that Government should disclose the price at which the mealie-meal imports will be done.
“How can they give it [mealie-meal] to you to make a profit, what kind of businessmen are those? They give you maize and they tell you they will sell you at low prices so that you can sell to the DRC. Are they your relatives?
“He who plays with the people’s staple food cannot be considered patriotic. And I just want to remind all of us that a hungry man is an angry man. If are you used to sell things, you will sell anything you find,” Mr Lubinda said.
Mr. Lubinda said it was not enough for President Hakainde Hichilema to say that his administration was taking measures to address the shortage of mealie-meal without elaborating further.
He advised President Hichilema to institute an inquiry into the shortage of mealie-meal if he was not responsible for mishandling the national food reserves .