ALL seems set for the presentation of the 2024 National Budget.Finance and National Planning minister Situmbeko Musokotwane is, for the third consecutive year, expected to present the budget to Parliament on Friday this week.Therefore, I have decided to pick one sector as my priority for this year because of the critical role it plays to […]
Posts tagged as “Maize”
By CHATULA KANGALI – THE demand for Zambian maize has increased in the African sub-region. This has been necessitated by the increased population and high production of feed for farming activities.In its monthly agriculture report for August to September, First National Bank (FNB) states that there has been an increasing demand of Zambian maize in […]
By CHATULA KANGALI – THE Millers Association of Zambia (MAZ) has bemoaned the low inflow of maize on the market which has pushed the prices of the commodity to as high as K370 per 50 kilogramme (kg) bag.MAZ president Andrew Chintala said in an interview that the price of maize had increased from K280 to […]
By CHUSA SICHONE – THE Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) has arrested four people in two separate incidents of theft and money laundering involving more than K6 million.In the first case, the DEC Anti-Money Laundering Investigations Unit (AMLIU) arrested three officials at a known Oil Marketing Company (OMC) for allegedly stealing and laundering over K4 million.In […]
By KENNEDY MUPESENI in Mwansabombwe – THE Food Reserve Agency (FRA) board is looking at the possibility of increasing maize purchases from the budgeted for 500,000 to one million tonnes in the current marketing season.The FRA board has also attributed the supposed shortage of empty grain bags to the ongoing rush by the farmers to […]
By ESTHER NG’ANDU – A SEVENTY-TWO-YEAR-OLD man brandishing a shotgun has opened fire at his 42-year-old wife in full view of her workers as they harvested maize, shooting her four times in the chest.The man , soon after the incident, went back to his house where he committed suicide leaving a message scribbled in charcoal […]
By CHATULA KANGALI – MILLERS have started buying maize following the drop in the moisture content in most parts of the country.Millers Association of Zambia (MAZ) president Andrew Chintala says the maize moisture content in most parts of the cou...
JUST giving you some food for thought. Last week, the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) made one of the most important announcements of the year when it informed the nation and maize growers in particular that it had set the purchase price of a K50 kg bag of mealie meal at K280 from K180. Unprecedented!The agency […]
By MUSONDA MANGILASHI –A BUSINESSMAN who went to buy maize in Mpongwe has been killed and later hanged to a mango tree by unknown people. The incident happened on Friday night at East Wing market in chieftainess Malembeka’s area of Mpongwe distr...
By SHARON KALIMBULA-THE preliminary 2022/2023 crop forecast survey has shown an increase in maize production of about 600,000 tonnes despite challenges such as floods and drought this season. Read more
By FELIX NKINKE-THE Food Reserve Agency has announced an unprecedented K280 for a 50 kilogramme bag of white maize for this year’s crop marketing season.In the last marketing season, the FRA bought a 50 kilogramme bag of white maize at K180.
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By SYLVIA MWEETWA – AGRICULTURE Minister Reuben Mtolo has assured that maize export restrictions by Zambia are meant to secure the country’s food security situation and not deliberately meant to strain the food situation in neighbouring countries Read more
By CHATULA KANGALI and KETRA KALUNGA – COPPERBELT Minister Elisha Matambo has challenged millers to start buying maize for their reserve and stop depending on Food Reserve Agency (FRA) stocks as farmers anticipate increase in the prices of t...
By JULIUS PHIRI – THE Government has warned millers against colluding with smugglers of maize and mealie-meal saying they risk being blacklisted from accessing maize from the Food Reserve Agency (FRA).Meanwhile, Rainbow Milling Company director Ayyub Patel has appealed to the Government to put up stringent measures to ensure that there is no smuggling of […]
By TELLAH HAZINJI – THE National Biosafety Authority (NBA) has assured the nation that the mealie-meal from South Africa produced from genetically modified maize is safe for consumption.NBA scientific advisory committee chairperson Sody Munsaka said the organisation was working with other Government institutions to ensure that mealie-meal that would contain Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) to […]
By TINKERBEL MWILA – COPPERBELT Minister Elisha Matambo has said that the mealie-meal situation in the province is under control.Speaking when he led a team of service chiefs to Kasumbalesa border, Mr Matambo said the 95 tonnes of maize that has been offloaded in the province would soon be distributed to all millers and the […]
By JOSEPH BANDA, JANE MWANSA and MAPULANGA LIBINGA – THE Millers Association of Zambia (MAZ) says the maize released by the Government is adequate stabilise the supply of mealie-meal on the Copperbelt but that smuggling remains a challenge ensuring stability.MAZ president Andrew Chintala who has distanced his members from engaging in smuggling says following the […]
By ESTHER NG’ANDU,KENNEDY MUPESENI and MUSONDA MANGILASHI – THIRTY thousand bags of mealie-meal and 52 motor vehicles have so far been seized in different locations during the ongoing crack down on smuggling on the Copperbelt.Copperbelt Minister Elisha Matambo in an interview yesterday said that security agencies in the province were determined to ‘root out’ illegal […]
By JOSEPH BANDA – AGRICULTURE Minister Reuben Phiri has said that illicit trade in mealie-meal and maize across borders is putting pressure on the price of the commodities.He warned in parliament that all those involved in the illicit trade would lose their freedom, money and vessels because security wings had been put on alert. Read […]
[Times of Zambia] FOR many years now maize has continued to occupy a central position in Zambia's agricultural political-economy as both the national staple food and primary smallholder crop.