Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
Agriculture Minister Reuben Mtolo Phiri has dismissed assertions that the continued export of maize and soya beans is contributing to the current high cost of feed stock on the local market.
Mr. Phiri tells QTV news that pricing of these commodities is the preserve of grain traders who should therefore be the ones to answer as to why the prices have kept going up.
He says Zambia has vast land with a small population which does not consume more than it produces and puts on the local market.
Mr. Phiri adds that it is not right for anyone to complain that what is being exported is bringing price instability especially because the Ministry of Agriculture is the one giving out export permits, therefore it will manage the soya beans position.
He reveals that the country is currently expecting to produce soya beans amounting to 650, 000 tons which is more than the country’s consumption requirement.