Govt urged to reconsider maize price

Moono Mapani

Government has been called upon to reconsider the maize price that the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) will be purchasing maize from local farmers.

UPND Chairman for Rural Reconstruction and Development Moono Mapani feels that if left unchecked, this might affect farmers in planning well for the 2017/2018 farming season.

Mr. Mapani says the worst the government could have done was to maintain the K85 per 50kg bag of maize unlike reducing it to as low as K60 per 50kg bag of maize.

And Mr. Mapani has encouraged the government to consider buying more maize from farmers and process it in mealie meal then export to neighboring countries in order to get some revenues.

He says it is clear that the government cannot buy all the maize from the farmers and thus the need to consider buying for purposes of milling it then export to other countries in need.

He says government ought to help the farmers for them to have something to use in the coming farming season.