State ponders fixed maize price

GOVERNMENT is still in the process of consulting over a fixed floor price of maize ahead of the 2014/2015 crop marketing season.

Agriculture and Livestock Deputy Minister Greyford Monde said in an interview that the Government would only announce the maize floor price after these consultations were concluded.

“Right now we cannot announce the floor price for maize because we have not finished consulting the stakeholders like the farmers and the millers.

“So when the consultations are concluded, a ministerial statement will be availed to announce the floor price per tonne,” he said.

Millers Association of Zambia (MAZ) president Allan Sakala said in a separate interview that his association had already made their submission to Government over the maize floor price.

“We cannot make a comprehensive statement on the matter now, but the association has met with officials from the Ministry of Agriculture to discuss the way forward on the matter,” he said.

For the 2013/2014 crop marketing season, the Food Reserve Agency had pegged a tonne of maize at K1, 700 for buyers along the line of rail and K1, 600 per tonne elsewhere.

Times of Zambia