Africa-Press – Malawi. Amid concerns that Ministry of Trade officials are detaining trucks that are ferrying maize destined for other countries, government has maintained that it will keep on cracking the whip as the maize export ban it imposed is still intact.
Since the start of this year, law enforcers have been detaining truckloads of maize, especially in the Northern Region districts of Karonga and Chitipa districts.
However, some of the transporters whose trucks were detained have cried foul, saying they had proper documentation at the time of vehicle detention. One of the transporters, who declined to be named for fear of reprisals, said it was surprising that they were stopped because they had requisite documents.
Ministry of Trade officials have intensified patrols and spot checks to monitor the movement of maize at ports of entry with the help of Malawi Defence Force (MDF) and Malawi Police Service (MPS) personnel.
In the first week of the exercise, the ministry impounded 16 maize trucks. According to the ministry, out of the 25 maize trucks, 17 were detained by MDF soldiers and eight by MPS officers.
This far, the ministry indicates that a total of 25 trucks carrying maize which was enroute to Chitipa and Karonga have been detained on suspicion that they were smuggling the grain to Tanzania.
And, speaking to The Daily Times Monday, Trade Ministry spokesperson Mayeso Msokera said they would continue with the exercises. “This is an ongoing exercise which is aimed at countering maize smuggling. In fact, the maize export ban is still intact,” Msokera said.
He said government officials are also aware of tricks that some of the maize exporters have been using to beat the system. The ministry spokesperson said, for example, that, at one point in time, about 20 truck owners claimed that they had an assignment to deliver maize to Karonga and Chitipa districts on a daily basis despite that the districts are not “in dire need” of the grain.
“Even if maize is moving from one district to another, the trader has to clearly demonstrate where the maize would be sold,” he said.
Msokera further warned that the law will take its course on those found trying to smuggle maize into other countries. He cited the Goods Control Act as one of the rules that are being applied.
“We received information that most of the transporters are smuggling maize to other countries through the border districts of Karonga and Chitipa and we decided to intensify patrols because we don’t expect any maize to be going outside the country since export licences are currently not being issued out,” he said.
Secretary for Agriculture Dickxie Kampani concurred, saying they are also checking if the maize transporters have authentic movement permits. He said they have deployed inspectors along the borders to ensure that maize is not being smuggled outside the country.
“We are also working to ensure that maize transportation is done with authentic permits. Our officers are, to that effect, also doing their work in border districts,” he said.
Last week, one individual was found with a case to answer when he allegedly tried to smuggle 301 bags of maize into Tanzania. The maize has since been forfeited to the government.
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