Authorities at Nakonde border in Muchinga Province have intercepted and impounded three trucks carrying over 1000 x 50 kg bags of maize about to be smuggled to Kenya.
Muchinga Provincial Agricultural Coordinator Victor Mulopa, has confirmed the incident in Chinsali.
Dr Mulopa, who had travelled to Nakonde on a fact finding mission, says one truck was intercepted by the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) and two by the department of agriculture in the border town.
Dr Mulopa says preliminary investigations have indicated that the three consignments, which were about to be illegally exported, have fake documents from Serenje and Isoka districts.
He says the transporters have papers showing an internal transfer of maize from a satellite depot to the holding depot and not for export.
The PACO says the government has centralized the export of maize so as to monitor what is going out, and since the documents accompanying the intercepted and seized maize indicate that the papers were not obtained from Lusaka, this is evidence enough that the commodity was about to be illegally exported.
According to the latest export of maize and mealie meal procedures, a person exporting the commodity should collect application forms from the department of Agribusiness and Marketing at the headquarters in Lusaka.
The exporter should also obtain a photo-sanitary certificate from Zambia Agricultural Research Institute (ZARI) headquarters at Mount Makulu.
Dr Mulopa has warned that the law will deal firmly with whoever shall be found wanting and his directed his officers manning border posts to ensure no grain goes out of the country without proper documentation.
The three trucks are currently parked at Nakonde police station.
If they have the audacity to try it then its worked in the past, they were just unlucky this time…time for GRZ to wake up!!!Â
Smuggling is an indication of demand. So, this means there is a big demand for maize and maize=related products in Kenya. Which means there are real opportunities in exploring this avenue legally with Kenyan businessmen and women and doing proper business with Kenya, and other neighbouring Countries. Which in turn means there is scope for job creation in this area of Agro business in Zambia, as long as Govt ensures we keep aside enough stock for the nation’s annual consumption, and also not let some of the maize rot or go to waste. C‘mon ba Govt, opportunity does not knocking twice. For once stand up and make it happen in a proper and transparent manner.
One gets good money for their produce than locally paid peanuts
Z govt ask yourself why that has happened.
In short the comodity is paying highly in other countries and that means even the Z farmers will be very willing to sell their produce to those that will give them good pay rather than the shameful constant 65 pin per 50 Kg.
To those willing to export agric products, let them just follow the laid down procedures and all will be well with them.
Monkeys in the maize field…hahahahahaha
Arrgh,too rushed to do extensive detective work.They should have sent dummy trucks to get info on the Tz transit collaborators,the revenue authorities (if any) enabling this in all the countries involved and booking and dismantling the whole network.Now we dont know who was involved in this smuggling in kenya and TZ or the prices paid to make that lucrative.
PREVIOUS ZAMBIA REVENUE AUTHORITY MOST PROBABLY USED TO LET THEM GO THRU CORRUPTLY. BUT, NOW THAT PF IS TIGHTENING THE SCREWS THE ZRA DECIDED TO EXONERATE THEMSELVES. SO THIS CORRUPTION FIGHT IS WORKING.
Hii ni nchi ya wezi .Watu waliomo katika serikali ya PF ni wezi na wanaweza kuwa wamehusika na mambo haya ya ulanguzi wa mahindi kwenda nchini kenya.
these bembas and stealing..eish..Zambia would have been developed had it not been for them..
If Maize could be rotting in Nkanda- nzovu- Kalomo, southern province, what could be wrong to take it in Kenya where they need it more perhaps…….and alot of trucks were confiscated from Banda’s government and are also rotting at police stations instead of helping to collect Maize.Minister of agricaulture, please help the big man….
Ni ba FRA problem. abantu bamonafye ati tabalebashita kwamba nokulopwesha amataba kuli abobene baletwala ku KENYA.