Top news items in major Zambian media outlets

LUSAKA, May 5 (Xinhua) -- The following are news highlights in Zambia's major media outlets on Saturday.

--The Zambian government said the launch of a National Tuberculosis Strategic Plan and Program Guideline will enhance TB detection and help reduce TB related deaths from the current 17,000 to 10,000 by 2021.

Minister of Health Chitalu Chilufya said the plan, which runs from 2017 to 2021, which was aligned to the National Health Strategic Plan and other domesticated international instruments, would collectively help eliminate TB by 2035. (Times of Zambia)

--Zambia is expected to produce 2.3 million tons of maize in the 2018/2019 marketing season, results of preliminary crop forecast survey have shown.

Minister of Agriculture Michael Katambo, who released the figures, said the country has enough maize for both human and industrial consumption despite the production reduction compared to the previous season when the country produced 3.6 million tons of the staple crop. (Zambia Daily Mail)

--The importation of illegal agricultural products has posed a challenge to the growth of the sector, an association that represents farmers' interest in Zambia has said.

Jervis Zimba, president of the Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU), said the influx of illegal agricultural products through both formal and informal import flooding the domestic market was stifling the expansion of the sector. (Daily Nation)

--The United Nations (UN) says it will continue to be a partner of the Zambian people despite reservations raised by the country's main opposition party which raised concerns over the conduct of the UN resident coordinator during the 2016 general elections.

UN Associate Administrator Tegegnework Gettu said his organization will continue to be a dedicated and impartial partner to Zambia's electoral process. (The Mast) Enditem