LUSAKA, Sept 17 (NNN-Xinhua) — Zambian Vice President Mutale Nalumango said that the country will not face any food crisis because it has sufficient maize stock.
In remarks delivered during a parliament session, the vice president said that public warning about a hidden food crisis should stop, as the maize reserves were sufficient for consumption until the next farming season.
Nalumango said that the Zambian government purchased 220,000 tons of maize, up from the targeted 170,000 tons, and that there was more in market supply and farmers were free to sell it to any buyers.
However, she admitted that there would be food shortage in some areas of poor harvests, noting that the government would step in to help.
“The situation is not as bad as it is being portrayed. We have done our vulnerability assessment and we know areas that did not produce enough maize. The Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit are ready to move in,” she said.
Early this week, the Zambia Public Procurement Authority canceled the fertilizer tender, raising concerns that the delay in fertilizer supply to farmers would affect the farming season and production of the coming season. — NNN-XINHUA
