Zambia lifts ban on maize exports

The Zambian government on Wednesday lifted a ban on maize exports after conducting a verification exercise to ascertain the amount of maize the country had.

Last week, the government imposed a week-long ban on maize exports in order to ascertain the actual quantities of maize in stock.

Ministry of Agriculture Permanent Secretary Julius Shawa said the verification exercise has established that the country had sufficient maize stocks to last up to August this year.

He told reporters during a press briefing that the verification conducted in all the country's 10 provinces by an Inter-Agency Team constituted by the government has established that the country has 600,433 tons of maize in stocks, which was enough to last up to August.

He however said the government will only allow the export of maize and maize products after meeting domestic demand and if there will be a surplus.

The government, he said, will soon come up with a statutory instrument that will spell out measures on how the management of maize and maize products will be conducted.

On Tuesday, the Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU), an association representing farmers and associate bodies, advised against prolonging the ban on maize exports and this could jeopardize the supply contracts local traders have entered into the players in other countries.

Zambia has witnessed an increase in the smuggling of mize and maize products in recent weeks due to a huge market in some neighboring countries. Trucks laden with smuggled maize have been impounded. Endit