ATPSUZ advises govt against lifting ban on maize exports

Joe Kamutumwa

The Agriculture and Technical Professional Staff Union of Zambia (ATPSUZ) has advised the government against lifting the ban on maize exports before ascertaining this year’s harvest.

Stakeholders comprising the Zambia National Farmers Union, Grain Traders Association of Zambia and the Millers Association of Zambia have appealed to the government to lift the ban on maize and mealie meal exports in order to avert the looming maize industry crisis during the 2017 marketing season.

But ATPSUZ General Secretary Joe Kamutumwa says it is unfair for grain stakeholders to claim the country has a lot of maize some of which should be exported, when the people in the country are being subjected to high mealie meal prices.

He says calls by the stakeholders for government lift the ban on maize and mealie meal exports would have made sense if the price of the staple food was low.

Mr Kamutumwa says stakeholders are partly to blame for the high mealie meal prices in the country.