Magoye MP asks govt to state floor price of maize

Magoye MP asks govt to state floor price of maize
Written by Henry Chibulu in Mazabuka

THE government has been asked to quickly announce the floor price of maize in for this year’s marketing season to protect farmers from being swindled by briefcase maize buyers.

Magoye member of parliament Bennie Mweemba yesterday said any delay to announce the floor price would impact negatively on the national food reserves because some millers and other traders were already buying maize from small scale farmers.

He complained that some unscrupulous maize buyers who had invaded Magoye Constituency were allegedly cheating farmers that the government had announced a floor price of K25,000 for a 50 kilogramme bag.

Mweemba said there was need for the government to quickly announce the price of maize to enable farmers realise a reasonable profit from their crops.

He further advised the government to ensure the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) was allocated enough funds to buy the produce from farmers before the bogus traders completely exhausted the commodity in rural areas.

Mweemba also advised the government to abolish the FRA after this year’s maize marketing programme and reintroduce the National Marketing Board (NAMBOARD), saying the FRA had failed to satisfy the needs of the Zambian farmers as evidenced by the delay to pay for the maize bought from farmers in the previous marketing seasons.

Meanwhile, chief Mwanachingwala of the Tonga people in Mazabuka has called on the government to enact stiffer laws that will compel cattle farmers to dip their animals regularly.

He said the laws should ensure farmers who did not dip their animals were either fined or sent to prison.

Chief Mwanachingwala said such punishment, if put in place, would help reduce perennial incidences of livestock diseases that had continued to decimate the cattle population in the district.

He complained that the district had become endemic to animal diseases because of failure by farmers to dip their animals.

Chief Mwanachingwala said he was ready to assist government in meting out such punishment to his subjects failing to observe such rules.

On Sunday, Mweemba called for the immediate suspension of the cattle restocking programme which he said was contributing to livestock disease.