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Zambia lifts ban on wheat import

Xinhua, March 18, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Zambian government has lifted a ban on wheat imports in order to allow for the importation of the commodity to avert a shortage, a senior official said on Wednesday.

Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Given Lubinda said in a ministerial statement delivered in parliament that the government has also scrapped off a 15 percent duty on wheat imports to address the commodity shortage in the country.

The Zambian minister revealed that the country was faced with a shortage of wheat and the measures put in place were meant to allow the importation of the commodity.

Zambia has a shortfall of 150,000 tons of wheat and the government has allowed the importation of 75,000 tons to meet the shortfall, he added.

Zambia's annual wheat consumption stands at 310,000 tons.

The Zambian minister attributed the shortage to a decline in the country's reserve stock and that the shortage will become prevalent toward the end of this month.

The government has since taken measures to ensure that the production and supply of bread is not disrupted. Endi