Maize marketing in Zambia

Maize marketing in Zambia

So, Zambia has another bumper harvest!

The Minister of Agriculture Eustacio Kazonga has announced a three million metric tonnes 2010/2011 harvest.

Zambia consumes approximately one million metric tonnes annually and the rest is exported to Zimbabwe, Kenya, Congo DR and Namibia.

The Zambian government has promised to buy all the maize from small scale farmers at US$265 per metric tonnes. This is good for the farmers but what I find strange is the fact that Zambia will export the same maize bought at high cost from the farmers at US180 per tonne.

Even the riches country in the world could never be this generous. My question is where is the excess money going to come from?

As it is, Zambia is still paying back money it owed a consortium of banks for last year’s maize marketing season.

What is more irritating is that the government has introduced mealie meal subsidies which means millers in the country will get the maize at a subsidised price and yet the small farmer is hoping to sell the same maize at an economic price. Which miller will buy from the farmer when they could get a better deal from the government?

What the government does not realize is that they are killing the small scale farmers indirectly when they are supposed to be helping.

If the government was serious about growing the agriculture sector, the best they can do is to subsidise production and not the already too-rich-to-care millers.

This is a scandal!!!!!