By Esther Chisola
Ministry of Information and Media permanent secretary Thabo Kawana says FQM is offering free services of transporting 4,000 metrics tones of maize from Tanzania to Zambia at their own cost of $500,000.
And Kawama has refuted claims that the government has starved the local transporters of business saying there is a lot of business that has been given to local contractors.
Speaking during a media briefing yesterday, Kawama said the maize was being purchased through the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) by the government.
“FQM offered the government that their trucks which take copper to Tanzania on their way back to FQM come back empty and therefore, FQM offered to the government that their trucks can whole maize on their way from Tanzania going to North-Western Province. Among the terms stipulated in that contract is that FQM will bring in 4,000 metric tones of maize free of charge to the government,” he said.
Kawana said the value of the contract was $500,000 which would be paid by FQM.
“The value however, of that contract is costing $500,000 which money FQM will bear. So, the value of the contract to bring in that 4,000 metric tones of maize is $500,000 and FQM is paying for that and that is FQM’s way of contributing to the call out for humanitarian assistance during this drought,” he said.
And Kawana has thanked FQM for the kind gesture.
“As government, we are very grateful to FQM for the kind gesture to be able to bring in 4,000 metric tones of maize into Zambia straight into the Copperbelt and straight into Kapiri Mposhi free of charge to government, free of charge to the people of Zambia,” Kawana said.
He has since appealed to other cooperating citizens to emulate FQM.
“We equally seize this opportunity to appeal to other corporate citizens to emulate what FQM has done to also come on board and join hands with government through DMMU and other stakeholders to ensure that together we pull through this period of drought as you are aware, 84 districts were affected by the drought,” said Kawana.
