PAMBASHE PF member of parliament Ronald Chitotela has wondered why government did not call for a stakeholder engagement to hear from farmers before suspending maize exports to neighbouring countries. And former agriculture minister Michael Katambo has challenged the UPND administration to explain where the maize stocks left by the PF in strategic reserves went to. On Wednesday, Agriculture Minister Mtolo Phiri announced that government had suspended the export of maize to neighbouring countries to ensure that the country had enough stock of the commodity. Commenting on this in an interview, Thursday, Chitotela, a farmer himself, wondered whether government was ready to pay farmers the commercial price they would offer private players who wanted to buy and export the commodity. “In...

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