Eight trucks laden with 4,200 by 50-kilogram bags of white maize have been impounded in Mpulungu by a joint security team.
Northern Province Permanent Secretary, Bernard Mpundu, has disclosed the trucks loaded maize from Kasama Food Reserve Agency (FRA) depot, destined to a miller based in Nakonde District, but surprisingly later, the truckers were spotted in Mpulungu District offloading the consignment.
Mr. Mpundu suspects the maize was meant to be smuggled to neighbouring countries via Lake Tanganyika.
He adds that there is strict procedure on the flow of the staple crop, hence there is no way what is meant for Nakonde could be offloaded in the port town.
The Permanent Secretary further says a police investigation has been launched to establish circumstances in the suspicious discovery and has warned erring individuals will be dealt with decisively.
Earlier this year, government gave millers preferential purchase of maize in a bid to lower prices of mealie meal, which have been persistently high for months.
By Diamond Chitalu
