Millers Association of Zambia (MAZ) is optimistic that Millers will be able to meet the targeted 1.8 million tonnes of maize during the ongoing 2019/2020 crop marketing season.
Association President Andrew Chintala told Money FM News in an interview that so far, the Millers have bought above 400, 000 metric tonnes for both human and livestock consumption.
Mr. Chintala said Millers are actively involved in grain purchasing as they have bought more maize than any other players buying on the market.
“Our purchases are a moving target, we are buying everyday so figures are going up and as we are buying we are also milling, so I can safely say that from the last time we aggregated the figures we should be above 400, 000 metric tonnes.”
“Looking at the figures I have given you, I am quite confident that there is active participation from the millers. So we are on truck and I think we will be able to meet our targeted 1.8 million tonnes for human and livestock consumption,” Mr. Chintala said.
He urged Millers who are not actively participating to ensure they procure the commodity for their own operations because government has made it clear that they will not be able to offload any maize to the Millers.
“If they are those that are quite reluctant about it we can only encourage them to engage actively and ensure that they procure maize for their own operations.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Chintala said it is not practical that the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) will be able to release maize to the millers during the period when the Agency is buying grain from the farmers.
He stated that the only time when the Agency releases maize is when there are price escalations and maize shortages on the market, but that there is no shortage at the moment, hence Millers are aware that they have to actively buy the commodity.
“You also need to be mindful that during the period when FRA is buying maize, it’s not practical that the Agency will be able to release maize to the millers.”

“There are specific instances where maize is released to the millers, when there are price escalations and maize shortages on the market. So we have not experienced any shortages, hence the Milers are alive to the fact that during this period everyone else is buying, so if there is anywhere else that the Millers are looking for maize, it’s from the farmers and the open market. So we are buying and we are very much active on the market,” he stated.
Recently, Agriculture Minister Michael Katambo advised the Millers that are reluctant to buy maize to start doing so because FRA will not come to their rescue once they run out of the commodity.