11 December 2008
THE Zambia Consumer Association (Zaca) has urged the Government to ban the export of mealie meal as an additional measure to reduce and stabilise the price of the commodity.
Zaca executive secretary, Muyunda Ililonga said it had become clear that Government's intention to offload maize reserves in an effort to stabilise mealie meal prices would not work as long as people continued selling it abroad.
"The issue of protecting consumers should not be left to the whims of market forces. The Government should immediately ban the export of mealie meal to stabilise the price," he said.
The Food Reserve Agency (FRA) has been asked to offload some of the maize in its reserves and facilitate the importation of more to bring down mealie meal prices.
University of Zambia (Unza) development studies lecturer, Fred Mutesa said in a separate interview that if the Government did not effect a ban on mealie meal exports, all the efforts it was making to stabilise prices would be futile.
Dr Mutesa said a task force, comprising representatives of the millers, the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry as well as the Ministry of Agriculture should oversee the importation of maize and the distribution of mealie meal countrywide, to ensure that it was not exported.
Dr Mutesa said if that were not done, Government's move to offload FRA strategic maize reserves and import more would not achieve much apart from enriching exporters.
Railway Workers Union of Zambia (RWUZ) general secretary, James Kapyanga said the cheaper the mealie meal in the country, the higher the chances of traders sneaking it out of the country, hence the need for the ban.
Mr Kapyanga said after slapping a ban on the export of maize, there was need to address the porous border situation when it came to such things as illegal exportation of goods.
He said the border check-points especially for Kasumbalesa, Mokambo and Nakonde border posts should be strengthened and patrols intensified.
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