The Democratic of Congo – DRC has requested the Zambian government to facilitate the supply of maize to DRC as the country is currently facing a deficit in maize production.
DCR Katanga province governor of Haut Jacques Katwe has disclosed that out of the 7,000, 000 metric tonnes of maize to be produced every year, producers in the country are only reaching 2,000,000 metric tonnes of production indicating a deficit of about 5,000,000 tonnes of maize.
Katwe added that DRC is however counting on Zambia to provide it with food supplies through the export of maize and mealie meal to reduce the food deficit situation that the mineral rich country is grappling with.
In a statement made available to the Zambia Business Times – ZBT by Trade ministry Public Relations Officer, Katwe was speaking when he met the Acting Trade Minister Moses Mawere at the just ended Trade Fair in Ndola last week.
Mawere said government is capable of supplying 1.3 million metric tonnes of maize to DRC to help cut the maize deficit in the DRC adding that the Zambian government has begun facilitating for the sign off of a bilateral trade deal between the two countries.
He said the two countries are set to sign a Memorandum of Understanding – MOU which will facilitate for trade of agriculture products like Maize and Mealie meal and that the draft document of the MOU will be ready and shared with the DRC counterparts by July this 2019.
He revealed that the two countries signed an MOU in 2016 with an approved list of products to trade between the two countries, Zambia and Congo DR, hence it is the country’s desire to operationalize the trade agreement.
“We proposed to have an MOU to facilitate trade in certain products such as mealie meal as it is a sign that both governments attach great importance to the issues of export and import of maize and mealie meal. We however urge the officials from Congo to conclude the initial process for the bilateral agreement, which has a good number of products for trade,” Mawere said.
