Zambia’s maize industry is about to starve – Scott
Zambia’s maize industry is about to starve – ScottWritten by Bivan Saluseki
Sunday, June 28, 2009 4:37:33 PM
ZAMBIA'S maize industry is about to starve to death, PF vice-president Dr Guy Scott has said. Dr Scott yesterday said the government currently owed about US $17 million as subsidy payment to traders and farmers based upon the difference between the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) and producer price which was lower.
He explained that currently, there was a new crop which was estimated at about 1.8 million tonnes.
Dr Scott said at least K1 trillion was urgently needed in the form of an injection of liquidity into the maize sector to enable traders and the FRA to purchase this “bumper” crop.
“I challenge Chituwo [agriculture minister] and Musokotwane [finance minister] to give us a schedule on how liquidity is going to be pumped into the maize industry,” he said.
Dr Scott said the maize sector was in a crisis currently.
He said this was a time when commercial farmers wanted to stock up with inputs for next year's crop.
“We are concerned that the maize industry is about to starve to death,” Dr Scott said.
He said there was no need to lecturer farmers that they should not sell to briefcase businessmen because the farmers needed money to pay for basic necessities of life.
Dr Scott said the only cure for briefcase businessmen was pumping more money into the system.
posted by MrK @ 3:38 PM
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