(Unedited for this blog)
MILLERS NEED TO COLLABORATE WITH STAKEHOLDERS
The United Liberal Party (ULP) is calling on government to play a greater role in the production and marketing of maize in order to help stabilize the liberalized market system in the milling industry. Government needs to introduce legislation that will stop deliberate market distortions and to protect consumers of maize-meal.
We are not calling for the reintroduction of price controls but legislation that will compel millers to declare stocks of maize in their shades on a monthly basis. Compelling millers to declare maize stocks will help the Ministry of Agriculture to get the correct picture in terms of the availability of maize in the country and adequately prepare for any back-up supplies that may be required.
Millers as handlers of a strategic commodity and a staple for this country need to seriously coordinate their activities with government to avoid the shortage of maize and un-necessary price hikes. Maize as a strategic commodity needs to be jointly handled by all stakeholders including farmers, millers of maize-meal and the government.
Millers should also help to stop the exploitation of small-scale farmers by briefcase buyers who are in most cases are selling the maize to millers of maize-meal. Millers can systematically help stop the abuse of the open market system of marketing maize by buying directly from the small-scale farmers to avoid the middlemen who exploit the farmers.
The poorest in our communities are the hardest hit by the break in the supply chain as a result of lack of proper communication between the millers and the small-scale farmers; the poor spend the highest portion of their income on food and with meagre budgets already overstretched they cannot be expected to keep on absorbing high prices of maize-meal.
Considering the five most widely consumed food types in Zambia, maize meal, white sugar, tea, milk and bread in terms of very poor consumers, maize-meal contributes about 54 percent of energy intake. Reduced consumption of maize meal is likely to affect the daily energy intake among the poorest of our population.
If not handled properly the issue of maize-meal prices can destabilize the relative peace we are enjoying. All past riots have been centred on high prices of food including maize-meal.
Hon. Sakwiba Sikota SC
President
United Liberal Party (ULP)
May 10, 2010
Showing posts with label Sakwiba Sikota. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sakwiba Sikota. Show all posts
Monday, 10 May 2010
Monday, 3 May 2010
HON. SAKWIBA SIKOTA'S STATEMENT TO MARK WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY WHICH FALLS ON MAY 3
(Unedited for this blog)
PRESS FREEDOM
All Zambians including the state and corporate institutions should be at the forefront of protecting media independence in the country. A free press plays a key role in sustaining and monitoring a healthy democracy, as well as in contributing to greater accountability, good government, and economic development.
Most importantly we should guard against any restrictions on the media that could affect freedom of the press because most often they could indicate an impending assault on other democratic institutions.
All stakeholders including media institutions should stop controlling the viewpoints that should reach citizens and repress independent voices who aim to promote accountability, good governance, and economic development.
The press should also play a role in ensuring freedom of the press is protected by thoroughly investigating issues and providing balanced reporting. While there is no reason that justifies restrictions on media independence, reporting half truths has led to unnecessary assaults on the media.
The legal environment for the media should also be designed in a way that will not allow political pressures that influence reporting, and economic factors that affect access to information to thrive.
Hon. Sakwiba Sikota SC
President
United Liberal Party (ULP)
May 3, 2010
PRESS FREEDOM
All Zambians including the state and corporate institutions should be at the forefront of protecting media independence in the country. A free press plays a key role in sustaining and monitoring a healthy democracy, as well as in contributing to greater accountability, good government, and economic development.
Most importantly we should guard against any restrictions on the media that could affect freedom of the press because most often they could indicate an impending assault on other democratic institutions.
All stakeholders including media institutions should stop controlling the viewpoints that should reach citizens and repress independent voices who aim to promote accountability, good governance, and economic development.
The press should also play a role in ensuring freedom of the press is protected by thoroughly investigating issues and providing balanced reporting. While there is no reason that justifies restrictions on media independence, reporting half truths has led to unnecessary assaults on the media.
The legal environment for the media should also be designed in a way that will not allow political pressures that influence reporting, and economic factors that affect access to information to thrive.
Hon. Sakwiba Sikota SC
President
United Liberal Party (ULP)
May 3, 2010
Saturday, 1 May 2010
ULP PRESIDENT, SAKWIBA SIKOTA'S STATEMENT ON TRADE SURPLUS AND LABOUR
(Unedited for this blog)
TRADE SURPLUS AND LABOUR
Reports that Zambia in March this year recorded a trade surplus amounting to K 752.9 billion resulting from increased exports in metal products is a good development for the economy. Government should take advantage of this and ensure that the increased trade surplus is sustained and diversified so that the larger percentage can also include processing consumer and capital goods.
There is need for government to take measures that will increase the share of processed capital and consumer goods on trade surplus from 6.6 percent of total exports to around 30 percent. What we are proposing is a workable initiative that can benefit the economy and increase employment levels.
For example according to information obtained from the Central Statistics Office the bulk of the trade surplus (75.1 percent) is from copper cathodes and some refined copper. Again copper and other metal ores such as cobalt account for 19.3 percent of the total trade surplus attributed to raw materials.
Similarly if government can support the non-mining industries to increase the volume of their exports by processing consumer and capital goods it could translate into thousands of jobs being created to meet increased demand. Relying on copper for the bulk of our exports is a risky business transaction that urgently requires to be resolved by supporting non-mining industries to produce high quality products for export.
As we celebrate Labour Day, the trade surplus should also be viewed from a broader perspective. It should be viewed not only in monetary terms, but because it also represents one of the ways that we can use to transfer semi-skilled labour to the modern production systems of processing raw materials to finished goods locally. Currently general trade in raw materials and refined metals account for over ninety percent of the trade surplus, this needs to be changed.
Government support to non-mining industries will help the export economy to move from relying on general trade in copper, to providing rapid growth of the processing trade of non metal commodities that can help to sustain the trade surplus for many years and increase demand for skilled labour. The trade surplus should be used to help create job opportunities for the thousands of un-employed University and College graduates around the country.
Government should also encourage the setting up of labour intensive industries to provide employment opportunities for the backlog of unemployed people and also to help broaden the tax base. Farming, Agro Processing, small scale manufacturing and tooling should be among the priority areas that can help create employment.
Hon. Sakwiba Sikota SC
President
United Liberal Party (ULP)
May 1, 2010
TRADE SURPLUS AND LABOUR
Reports that Zambia in March this year recorded a trade surplus amounting to K 752.9 billion resulting from increased exports in metal products is a good development for the economy. Government should take advantage of this and ensure that the increased trade surplus is sustained and diversified so that the larger percentage can also include processing consumer and capital goods.
There is need for government to take measures that will increase the share of processed capital and consumer goods on trade surplus from 6.6 percent of total exports to around 30 percent. What we are proposing is a workable initiative that can benefit the economy and increase employment levels.
For example according to information obtained from the Central Statistics Office the bulk of the trade surplus (75.1 percent) is from copper cathodes and some refined copper. Again copper and other metal ores such as cobalt account for 19.3 percent of the total trade surplus attributed to raw materials.
Similarly if government can support the non-mining industries to increase the volume of their exports by processing consumer and capital goods it could translate into thousands of jobs being created to meet increased demand. Relying on copper for the bulk of our exports is a risky business transaction that urgently requires to be resolved by supporting non-mining industries to produce high quality products for export.
As we celebrate Labour Day, the trade surplus should also be viewed from a broader perspective. It should be viewed not only in monetary terms, but because it also represents one of the ways that we can use to transfer semi-skilled labour to the modern production systems of processing raw materials to finished goods locally. Currently general trade in raw materials and refined metals account for over ninety percent of the trade surplus, this needs to be changed.
Government support to non-mining industries will help the export economy to move from relying on general trade in copper, to providing rapid growth of the processing trade of non metal commodities that can help to sustain the trade surplus for many years and increase demand for skilled labour. The trade surplus should be used to help create job opportunities for the thousands of un-employed University and College graduates around the country.
Government should also encourage the setting up of labour intensive industries to provide employment opportunities for the backlog of unemployed people and also to help broaden the tax base. Farming, Agro Processing, small scale manufacturing and tooling should be among the priority areas that can help create employment.
Hon. Sakwiba Sikota SC
President
United Liberal Party (ULP)
May 1, 2010
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