By TRYNESS MBALE and KELLY NJOMBO
GOVERNMENT is expected to sign a Statutory Instrument (SI) banning maize exports to stabilise mealie-meal prices in the country.
And Government will consider lifting the ban on the movement of pigs and processing of pig products next month after the decontamination procedure is undertaken.
Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Robert Sichinga said the SI will help to reduce the high mealie-meal prices that the country is currently facing, hence meeting the local demand.
Government on Friday banned the export of mealie-meal with immediate effect to sustain the country’s staple food.
Mr Sichinga said in an interview in Lusaka yesterday that the move follows recent reports that mealie-meal prices have increased in various parts of the country.
And Deputy Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Luxon Kazabu maintained yesterday that the ban is still effective as Government is following procedure to contain the outbreak.
Mr Kazabu said in an interview yesterday that currently, Government has slaughtered about 12, 160 pigs and that the number is likely to increase.
“We are not in a hurry in lifting the ban on the movement of pigs and processing of pig products because there are procedures we need to follow to contain the outbreak of African swine fever to ensure the disease does not spread.
“We will only consider lifting the ban on the movement of pigs and processing of pig products either mid or end of next month,” he said.
Mr Kazabu said once Government has completed the slaughtering exercise, it will embark on the decontamination process to ensure the affected farms are disease-free.
He said the decontamination will be done three times to reduce the risk of the spread of infectious diseases to other animals.
Mr Kazabu said Government wants to be certain the outbreak is contained before it can lift the ban to allow farmers to start restocking their farms.
“The cleansing of the affected areas is one of the important measures in controlling and eradicating African swine fever,” he said.
Decontamination is the combination of physical and chemical processes that kill or remove pathogenic micro-organisms.
Last month, an outbreak of African swine fever hit Lusaka killing about 1,682 pigs prompting Government to ban the movement and processing of pigs and pig products in Lusaka to save the pig industry.
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