member of Chilikuli iwe drama group at Mansa General Hospital during
the open day celebrations
The Permanent Secretary for Luapula Province has disclosed that the region is food-secure because it has enough stocks of maize and other energy foods.
In a press statement released in Mansa today, Boniface Chimbwali said the province currently has 168,209 by 50 kg bags of maize in its reserves in Kawambwa, Mansa, Samfya, Nchelenge and Kaputa which will last until mid- June, this year.
Mr Chimbwali said the maize stocks are sufficient to feed the province until the next crop is ready for harvest if the current stocks are not smuggled out of the country or transported to other provinces.
He added that the province has enough other energy foods like cassava, sorghum, millet and sweet potatoes which should provide the required confidence among the people in the province not to panic.
The Permanent Secretary also disclosed that this year’s crop is ready for harvest for home consumption but harvesting for marketing purposes is expected towards the end April and mid-June.
Mr Chimbwali said the two millers in the province – Jimbara and APG Milling -consume approximately 60,000 by 50 kg bags of maize per month and the current stocks would last until mid-June without problems.
This over-confidence is what creates crisis, what happens if that stock catches fire or some calamity be falls us. People will be left starving. There is news of a draught affecting the whole southern Africa, why are we not stocking more for emergency purposes. In life you prepare for the worst and think in terms of worst-case scenario instead of being overly confident.
Enough stocks but high food prices (mealie-meal) in this case won’t make hunger go away
LUAPULA, (NORTHERN, NORTH WESTERN, CB AND CENTRAL) PROVINCE(S) MUST BE FEEDING THE WHOLE COUNTRY AND AFRICA. AND LATER ON, THE WHOLE WORLD. I DON’T SEE WHY LUAPULA PROVINCE (AND THE OTHERS MENTIONED ABOVE) SHOULD EVEN BE A TOPIC OF WORRY IN TERMS OF FOOD SECURITY IN THE COUNTRY. LUAPULA PROVINCE NOT ONLY HAS THE HIGHEST RAINFALL IN ZAMBIA BUT ALSO THE BIGGEST FRESH WATER BODIES IN ZAMBIA IF NOT THE WHOLE OF AFRICA FOR IRRIGATION IN CASE OF POOR RAINFALL WHICH HAS NEVER BEEN EXPERIENCED IN THE PROVINCE.
THEREFORE, STARTING FROM NEXT FARMING SEASON THE GOVERNMENT AGRICULTURE POLICIES MUST BE IMPLEMENTED TO TO MORE THAN QUADRUPLE THE NUMBER AND SIZES OF FARMS PER FARMER IN THE PROVINCE TOWARDS THE PROVINCE FEEDING THE WHOLE OF AFRICA STARTING NEXT FARMING SEASON. LUAPULA PROVINCE HAS THE SOILS THAT CAN GROW ANY CROP IN THE WORLD. BUT, GOVERNMENT AGRICULTURAL POLICIES HAVE BEEN VERY POOR IN THE PROVINCE. GOVERNMENT MUST IMPROVE IN THIS PROVINCE (AND OTHERS).
Good message, good statistics. That is the way a leader should talk encouraging people to eat other types of food which are equally nutritious & just going to waste every eg. like millet, cassava, irish & sweet potatoes, butter nut, pumpkins, gourds. These give excellent dishes compared to maize meal and only needs leadership for people to learn. Countries like South Africa, Botswana, Namibia in short all SACU region they don’t discuss mealie-meal at national level but at consumer level. I don’t know how many times prices of mealie meal change without hearing politicians both in govt and opposition discussing that. They concentrate on major issues like the price of gold, share, fuel, transportation not small issues like price of matches and candles.
Good message, good statistics. That is the way a leader should talk encouraging people to eat other types of food which are equally nutritious & just going to waste every day eg. like millet, cassava, irish & sweet potatoes, butter nut, pumpkins, gourds. These give excellent dishes compared to maize meal and only needs leadership for people to learn. Countries like South Africa, Botswana, Namibia in short all SACU region they don’t discuss mealie-meal at national level but at consumer level. I don’t know how many times prices of mealie meal change without hearing politicians both in govt and opposition discussing that. They concentrate on major issues like the price of gold, share, fuel, transportation not small issues like price of matches and candles.
I would be disappointed to buy mealie meal if i lived in Luapula province, and have land. My household has never bought a bag of mealie meal for the last 30 years; self sufficient with cassava, millet, maize, sorghum, and Soya; mix them and take them to a hammer meal. No malnutrition.