|
|
|
|
| National |
| Malawi deploys police, MRA to guard maize |
|
by
Denis Mzembe, 22 January 2004
-
17:34:43
|
Government has mobilised the Malawi Police and the Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) to track down business people especially in the northern district of Karonga who are smuggling maize into neighbouring Tanzania.
“We have instructed MRA and police that anybody taking maize out of this country without proper documentation should not be allowed. That consignment must be impounded,” said Secretary for Agriculture Charles Matabwa on Wednesday.
He said some trucks have already been impounded in the Kaporo area in the district on their way to Tanzania, loaded with Malawian maize.
But he also said some of the maize being transported across the border was genuinely bought by traders outside Malawi from the National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA), adding transport hiccups delayed exportation of the grain.
Matabwa said maize drawn from NFRA by Admarc is currently being evenly distributed throughout the country not only to make the commodity available to the people but to stabilise prices as well.
“That’s why we are releasing maize from the SGR,” he said.
European Union food security expert Paul Genies said maize is currently fetching better prices in Tanzania and Mozambique and elsewhere in the region while in Malawi maize remains much cheaper.
But he said the problem comes because of the low earning power of most Malawians and urged those in authority to strive to adjust wage levels and in turn adjust maize prices.
“This would increase productivity because farmers would be encouraged to grow more maize and the problem of illegal exports would naturally die because the prices would be at par with neighbouring countries,” he said.
Despite the ban a fortnight ago on maize exports, Senior Traditional Authority Kilupula of Karonga told a Parliamentary Committee on Social and Community Affairs that there is no maize at all selling points in the district because Admarc workers were selling the grain to Tanzanian traders at a higher price.
Incidentally a caller from Chitipa, identified as Lameck Mulenga, said the district has been experiencing food shortages for the past three months.
“The last time we had maize was when President Bakili Muluzi came here to instal a chief. He brought about 100 metric tonnes,” Mulenga said. |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
