Maravi

2008 has been a disaster – Sata

2008 has been a disaster – Sata
Written by Masuzyo Chakwe
Saturday, December 27, 2008 1:33:15 PM

PATRIOTIC Front (PF) president Michael Sata yesterday said the year 2008 has been a disaster and Zambians survived by the will of God.In an interview, Sata hoped there would be change next year in the way the country was being run. "Maybe when they stop being on holiday and start working will we see some change," Sata said.

And commenting on the decision by the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) to reduce the price of maize from K63,000 to K55,000, Sata said the price of mealie-meal should be within the reach of the people.

He said the government should not play with people by reverting to the original price of maize and say they had reduced it and expect the millers to implement a reduction in food prices.

"The government before elections increased the floor price of maize to hoodwink the farmers so that they vote for the MMD. Then they saw that this had not worked. Then they think by reducing the price of maize, millers are going to play ball and reduce the price of mealie-meal," he said.

Sata said the reduction of mealie-meal prices by K10,000 by some millers would have very little impact. He said the government had a lot of work to do, to remove excess value added tax as the importation of maize would be more expensive than reducing the price of maize.

"Why is FRA not buying the thousands of metric tonnes of maize which is there in the country. Why are they only interested in importing. A lot more needs to be done other than changing the price of maize when there is no maize in the country," he said.

Sata said the government must do a lot more to remove the unnecessary expenditures.

He said Zambia was having problems because of spending money on unnecessary things like the National Constitutional Conference.

On Wednesday, FRA reduced the price of maize and said a 50 kilogramme bag of maize would now cost K55,000 from the previous K63,000.

FRA board chairperson Costain Chilala said the decision was made in consultation with the government to further bring down the price of mealie-meal.

He said all willing millers would be supplied FRA maize at 100 per cent mill requirements.

And agriculture and cooperatives minister Dr Brain Chituwo on Thursday said the government expected the millers to respond to the FRA decision to reduce the prices of maize to benefit consumers.

Labels: BRIAN CHITUWO, FRA, INFLATION, MEALIE-MEAL, MILLERS, SATA

posted by MrK @ 1:33 PM