By SAM PHIRI –
THE poor rainfall that has affected Zambia and Malawi in the last two years has had a telling effect on the neighbouring country which is now depending on smuggled mealie-meal from Zambia.
The mealie-meal is smuggled into Malawi on bicycles that would carry up to five 25 kilogramme (kg) bags per trip and cross the border without export permits.
Agriculture Minister Given Lubinda said the bicycle and taxi smuggling was a complex matter because, according to the Southern African Development Community and Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa regulations, it would be an infringement on those carrying one or two bags of mealie-meal if they were intercepted.
He, however, said the Government was urgently working on a solution to regulate the smuggling as more than 3,000 bags of mealie-meal crossed the border on a daily basis.
“The people who are smuggling the commodity on bicycles have connived with some unscrupulous business persons here in Zambia and in Malawi and we are closing in on them,” he said.
Malawi had been heavily hit by food shortages mainly because of the abnormal rainfall recorded in the first quarter of 2015 that left 15 of the 28 districts flooded, claiming lives and destroying crops.
To cushion the hunger situation, bicycles laden with bags of mealie-meal are seen crossing the Mchinji border into Malawi without permits.
Investigations by the Sunday Times revealed that one person would smuggle up to 100 bags or more per day.
Simon Kwamwendo from Malawi said he and his colleagues were in a lucrative business of buying a 25kg bag of mealie-meal at K80 in Zambia and selling it at an equivalent of K150 per 25kg bag, thus making a profit of K70.
He said they ferry the commodity from Chipata as early as 03:00 hours and rest after making about 10 trips.