剛果玉米價(jià)格飆升,，催生“棺材走私”
Taonga Clifford Mitimingi, Matthew Hill, 彭博社
2023-05-01
兩名男子將一具棺材運(yùn)往墓地——這并不是一具裝著走私玉米的棺材。圖片來源：LOUISE GUBB—CORBIS SABA/CORBIS/GETTY IMAGES
剛果民主共和國玉米價(jià)格暴漲,，于是鄰國贊比亞的人們非法走私這種主食來賺取暴利,，而政府打壓此類活動(dòng)導(dǎo)致了一些人采取更加巧妙的隱藏方式——有些人甚至使用棺材來走私。
據(jù)贊比亞的國家廣播公司報(bào)道,，走私者一直將玉米粉藏在碎石,、沙子和棺材中。他們甚至還把玉米藏在糖袋里,。雖然通常持續(xù)到5月的糧食緊張季節(jié)經(jīng)常會(huì)引發(fā)鄰國的高需求,，但今年的情況尤為嚴(yán)重。
贊比亞是南部非洲最大的糧食生產(chǎn)國之一,，受到俄羅斯與烏克蘭沖突的影響,，該地區(qū)其他國家的化肥供應(yīng)受到阻礙,，但贊比亞在去年仍然實(shí)現(xiàn)了玉米盈余。
根據(jù)饑荒早期預(yù)警系統(tǒng)網(wǎng)絡(luò)（Famine Early Warning Systems Network）的數(shù)據(jù),，與前年同期相比,，用水和玉米混合制成的一種叫做恩希瑪（nshima）的粥在馬拉維的價(jià)格在2月翻了一番多,。4月下旬,，聯(lián)合國（United Nations）支持的奧卡皮廣播電臺(tái)（Radio Okapi）報(bào)道稱，在剛果的盧本巴希,，家庭最常購買的25公斤袋裝價(jià)格在最近幾天猛漲了80%,，達(dá)到9萬法郎（44美元）。
這為贊比亞的非法貿(mào)易商創(chuàng)造了一個(gè)有利可圖的套利機(jī)會(huì),，因?yàn)橥淮衩追墼谀抢镏恍枰?0美元,。這也給贊比亞政府帶來了問題，政府已經(jīng)部署了安全部隊(duì)來遏制造成局部短缺的走私活動(dòng),?？哲娬诳紤]進(jìn)行空中巡邏。
贊比亞最大的超市連鎖店Shoprite Zambia是限制顧客購買玉米粉數(shù)量的零售商之一,。
限額兩袋
“在當(dāng)前的短缺危機(jī)中,，我們被政府委托補(bǔ)貼糧食儲(chǔ)備局（Food Reserve Agency）的玉米粉，以便我們的顧客從價(jià)格中受益,?！盨hoprite控股有限公司（Shoprite Holdings Ltd.）當(dāng)?shù)胤止镜目偨?jīng)理查爾斯·博塔在4月中旬回復(fù)問題的電子郵件中說，“因此,，在這次暫時(shí)的短缺期間,，我們不能允許一個(gè)人購買超過一袋或兩袋玉米粉?！?/p>
盡管贊比亞在過去三個(gè)季度中玉米產(chǎn)量過剩,，但該國農(nóng)業(yè)部的部長(zhǎng)魯本·菲里在贊比亞國家廣播公司（Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation）的評(píng)論中表示，直到未來幾周的下一次收獲,，該國目前剩下的玉米僅夠滿足自身需求,。政府已經(jīng)停止發(fā)放出口許可證。（財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)）
——邁克爾·J·卡瓦納（Michael J. Kavanagh）對(duì)本文亦有貢獻(xiàn),。
譯者：中慧言-項(xiàng)曦瑩
剛果民主共和國玉米價(jià)格暴漲,，于是鄰國贊比亞的人們非法走私這種主食來賺取暴利，而政府打壓此類活動(dòng)導(dǎo)致了一些人采取更加巧妙的隱藏方式——有些人甚至使用棺材來走私,。
據(jù)贊比亞的國家廣播公司報(bào)道,，走私者一直將玉米粉藏在碎石、沙子和棺材中。他們甚至還把玉米藏在糖袋里,。雖然通常持續(xù)到5月的糧食緊張季節(jié)經(jīng)常會(huì)引發(fā)鄰國的高需求,，但今年的情況尤為嚴(yán)重。
贊比亞是南部非洲最大的糧食生產(chǎn)國之一,，受到俄羅斯與烏克蘭沖突的影響,，該地區(qū)其他國家的化肥供應(yīng)受到阻礙，但贊比亞在去年仍然實(shí)現(xiàn)了玉米盈余,。
根據(jù)饑荒早期預(yù)警系統(tǒng)網(wǎng)絡(luò)（Famine Early Warning Systems Network）的數(shù)據(jù),，與前年同期相比，用水和玉米混合制成的一種叫做恩?，敚╪shima）的粥在馬拉維的價(jià)格在2月翻了一番多,。4月下旬，聯(lián)合國（United Nations）支持的奧卡皮廣播電臺(tái)（Radio Okapi）報(bào)道稱,，在剛果的盧本巴希,，家庭最常購買的25公斤袋裝價(jià)格在最近幾天猛漲了80%，達(dá)到9萬法郎（44美元）,。
這為贊比亞的非法貿(mào)易商創(chuàng)造了一個(gè)有利可圖的套利機(jī)會(huì),，因?yàn)橥淮衩追墼谀抢镏恍枰?0美元。這也給贊比亞政府帶來了問題,，政府已經(jīng)部署了安全部隊(duì)來遏制造成局部短缺的走私活動(dòng),。空軍正在考慮進(jìn)行空中巡邏,。
贊比亞最大的超市連鎖店Shoprite Zambia是限制顧客購買玉米粉數(shù)量的零售商之一,。
限額兩袋
“在當(dāng)前的短缺危機(jī)中，我們被政府委托補(bǔ)貼糧食儲(chǔ)備局（Food Reserve Agency）的玉米粉,，以便我們的顧客從價(jià)格中受益?！盨hoprite控股有限公司（Shoprite Holdings Ltd.）當(dāng)?shù)胤止镜目偨?jīng)理查爾斯·博塔在4月中旬回復(fù)問題的電子郵件中說,，“因此，在這次暫時(shí)的短缺期間,，我們不能允許一個(gè)人購買超過一袋或兩袋玉米粉,。”
盡管贊比亞在過去三個(gè)季度中玉米產(chǎn)量過剩,，但該國農(nóng)業(yè)部的部長(zhǎng)魯本·菲里在贊比亞國家廣播公司（Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation）的評(píng)論中表示,，直到未來幾周的下一次收獲，該國目前剩下的玉米僅夠滿足自身需求,。政府已經(jīng)停止發(fā)放出口許可證,。（財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)）
——邁克爾·J·卡瓦納（Michael J. Kavanagh）對(duì)本文亦有貢獻(xiàn)。
譯者：中慧言-項(xiàng)曦瑩
Surging corn prices in the Democratic Republic of Congo have created a lucrative trade for people to smuggle the staple food out of neighboring Zambia, and a clampdown is causing creative concealment strategies — with some even using coffins.
Smugglers have been hiding corn meal among crushed stones, sand and caskets, according to a report by Zambia’s state broadcaster. They’ve even hidden corn in bags of sugar. While the lean season that usually runs into May often comes with high demand from neighboring nations, this year it’s been particularly severe.
Zambia is one of southern Africa’s biggest food producers and managed a corn surplus last year despite the impact of Russia’s war in Ukraine on the supply of fertilizers that hobbled others in the region.
Prices for the crop that’s mixed with water to make a porridge called nshima has surged in the region — in Malawi, it was more than double in February compared with a year earlier, according to data from the Famine Early Warning Systems Network, known as FEWS Net. The cost of a 25-kilogram bag most commonly bought by families jumped as much as 80% in recent days to 90,000 francs ($44) in Lubumbashi in Congo, United Nations-backed Radio Okapi reported in late April.
That’s created a lucrative arbitrage opportunity for illicit traders in Zambia, where the same bag costs about $10. It’s also created a problem for Zambia’s government, which has deployed security personnel to curb the smuggling that’s created localized shortages. The air force was considering aerial patrols.
Shoprite Zambia, the nation’s biggest supermarket chain, is among retailers that have limited the amount of corn meal customers can buy.
Two Bags
“In the current shortage crisis, we have been entrusted with subsidized Food Reserve Agency maize meal by government so that our customers can benefit from the price,” Charles Bota, the general manager at the local unit of Shoprite Holdings Ltd., said in an emailed response to questions in mid-April. “We therefore cannot allow that a person buys more than one or two bags for this reason in the time of this temporary shortage.”
While Zambia produced surpluses for the past three seasons, the nation only has enough corn remaining to meet its own demand until the next harvest becomes available in the coming weeks, Agriculture Minister Reuben Phiri said in comments broadcast on ZNBC. The government has stopped issuing export licenses.
–With assistance from Michael J. Kavanagh.
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