By Isaac Zulu
Former Agriculture minister Greyford Monde has said that the early announcement of the 2022-2023 maize marketing season is premature, just like is the sell of the same crop.
In an interview, Monde, who once served as minister of agriculture and livestock under the PF administration and Itezhi-tezhi member of parliament, said that the UPND administration has decided to opt to open the crop marketing season early, with a view to create an impression that they are committed to addressing the challenges facing the agricultural sector in the country.
He observed that the early harvest and marketing of the maize and other crops initiated by the UPND government “might have or pose a maize deficit and food security on the country, which is at stake,” Monde explained.
He said it would have been prudent for the UPND government to engage various agricultural sectors before announcing the maize marketing season.
“They should have consulted agricultural experts before embarking on that exercise, which currently is only meant to create an impression that the UPND government is committed to the numerous challenges facing the small scale farmers. They want to create an impression that they are on top of things in the agricultural sector, when in fact not. Currently, the moisture content is very high and you cannot allow or commission the maize marketing season at this time of the year. We are concerned.”
Monde further accused the UPND administration of making decisions
He said that the UPND administration should.
“It’s too early for the UPND administration to kick start the early maize marketing season without considering the moisture content of the maze grain at the moment. Unfortunately, we are dealing with a government that is not a listening government,” Monde said.
The former Itezhi-tezhi member of parliament also said that the UPND administration has not been a “consultative government, hence its misjudgments on many governance issues.”
“And that is why you have noticed that most of the decisions that the UPND government has been making, including the decision by President Hakainde Hichilema to sell off VX vehicles has been widely criticised and condemned,” said Monde.
