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Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Reporter 

GOVERNMENT has defended the promulgation of Statutory Instrument SI 145 of 2019 which prohibits the commercial selling of maize to private players saying it made the decision to protect citizens from unscrupulous dealers.

Two months ago, the Government gazetted SI 145 of 2019 banning private sales and requiring all maize to be sold to the Grain Marketing Board (GMB).

Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement Minister Perrence Shiri said “not in a million years,” will Government allow exploitation of citizens by private grain sellers who charge exorbitant prices.

He was responding to legislators’ who had questioned the logic behind the promulgation of the law during Wednesday’s National Assembly Question and Answer session.

 “As to why we came up with a Statutory Instrument (SI 145 of 2019, we want to ensure that all the grain in the country is accounted for and is available for consumption at affordable prices. If we allow everyone to access the maize, especially some of the companies, we end up with maize being not made readily available to consumers and at times being made available at exorbitant prices,” he said.

“It is not that I have imposed a blanket ban on the procurement of maize. We have allowed people to buy up to five bags, those who want to use for domestic consumption at home. In as far as the issue of the Anti-Monopolies Act, as long as there is clear demonstration that there are some elements who are acting against the interests of the consumer, Government will always be there to protect the interests of the consumer.”

Minister Shiri said maize is the country’s staple food hence Government does not want to see people failing to access it.

He said in coming up with the law, Government is preventing what is happening in the bakery sector which has resulted in shortages of bread.  “A very good example is that of bread. We are currently releasing wheat to the millers. The bakers, instead of producing bread, they’re producing confectioneries because they get much more from selling confectioneries. The little bread that is baked is availed to consumers through the black market at very exorbitant prices. We will not allow a repeat of such a situation to happen in as far as the staple food is concerned. Not in a million years,” Minister Shiri said.

He said the bakers’ monopoly has contributed to shortages of bread hence it was necessary to ensure that ordinary citizens do not starve.—@nqotshili