Zambia collaborates with TAZARA to transport vital maize supplies

In a move to bolster the country’s food security, the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) has announced a collaborative effort with Zambia Railways Ltd and Calabash Freight Ltd to transport over 160,000 tonnes of maize from Tanzania to Zambia.

The operation one element of the government’s procurement of 650,000 tonnes of maize from Tanzania. The agreement was cemented in a contract signed at the end of June in Dar es Salaam between the National Food Reserve Agency of Tanzania and the Zambia’s Food Reserve Agency (FRA).

"We are committed to supporting the Zambian government's efforts to secure maize supply and enhance food security in Zambia, which was recently affected by the drought that hit most parts of Southern Africa," said TAZARA's Managing Director Bruno Ching'andu.

According to Ching'andu, the three companies will pool their resources, including locomotives and wagons, to ensure the efficient transportation of the maize, moving at least 20,000 tonnes per month for the next eight months.

The transportation of the maize from Makambako and Vwawa in Tanzania to Kalomo in Zambia is expected to play a crucial role in alleviating the food shortage faced by Zambia as a result of the ongoing drought.

The TAZARA railway connects the Tanzania’s port of Dar es Salaam with New Kapiri Mposhi in Central Province.