Friday, March 29, 2024

Government threaten to withdraw trading licences over non compliance on mealie meal prices

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Bag of Mealie meal
Bag of Mealie meal

The Government has threaten to withdraw trading licences from traders dragging their feet’s in reducing the price of mealie meal prices following a meeting held between the President Michael Sata and millers.

Central Province minister Philip Kosamu said the government would be forced to direct the council to revoke licences if millers fail to reduce the price of mealie meal of a 25 kilogrammes by today.

This follows an emergency meeting held between President Sata and members of the Millers Association of Zambia (MAZ) to halt escalating prices of the staple food.

After the State House meeting on Monday, MAZ agreed to peg the wholesale price of a 25kilogramme bag of breakfast mealie- meal at KR47 (K47, 000) and KR50 (K50, 000) for retail.

Similarly, a 25kilogramme bag of roller meal will now cost KR35 (K35, 000) wholesale price, while the retail price is now KR38 (K38, 000).

But Mr Kosamu who was accompanied by Central Permanent Secretary Annie Sinyangwe who conducted an impromptu tour was sadden that some millers were still reluctant to reduce the price despite the presidential directive.

He said that the government would not sit back and watch miller deliberately exploit Zambians.
The Minister took to task a senior manager at Simba Milling company who expressed ignorance over the meeting but referred queries to her overall boss.

The company however, said it was unable to reduce the price due to transportation cost and the 25 kg was selling at KR52 retail price for breakfast while roller was going for KR48.

The minister and permanent secretary toured National Milling , Glance milling and C.K Milling who had complied with the directive while at AV-Milling the manager said there only sold few bags but halted the sale in readiness to start selling at the newly recommended price.

And Mrs Sinyangwe said the government was committed to working with millers because there were partners in development .

She said millers should not wait to be directed provided there are following the law and that the government has an open door policy of ensuring fair trade for both buyers and traders.

And a survey within city centre and banker shopping centre found some traders are still selling the 25kg at KR56 and KR58kg selling the new prices would only be effected once the old stocks runs out while at Shoprite Superior milling was going at KR5548 and Antelope KR5448.

Before proceeding for the closed-door meeting with the millers, President Sata said he would not allow mealie-meal prices to remain high as this could degenerate into food riots which were experienced in UNIP’s reign in 1986 and 1990.

The Patriotic Front (PF) Government would not allow exploitation of Zambians by the millers as this could spark riots.

40 COMMENTS

    • Let them withdraw so that we see who is going to mill.They have failed to understand simple economics-low supply of maize,high demand of meali meal hence high prices.They came in and sold all the food reserves(MMD made) to Congo/Namibia and donated to their foolish friend Mugabe, and still expect supply to remain the same?I am really enjoying this.And an advice to millers – Diversify to other businesses before they grab your milling plants.Who wants to be in a loss making business?

    • Ba Exhause there is no other way better than threats first b4 any action is taken coz Zambian busnessmen & women are uneccessarily to exploitive and stupid… so let the threats extend 2 other commodities on our markets

  1. The effective way is to immediately withdraw licences followed by court actions, not threats. Threats don’t work especially when you are dealing with businessmen who are greedy and still in their delinquent stage of youth. Where is the man of action the people voted for?

    • Fyampita how does this relate to the issue @ had?? or did you mean sata should not play with food prices ??

  2. These shameless politicians must be told in no uncertain terms that there are currently no price control laws on our statute books. So there is nothing illegal about selling a 25 kg bag of mealie meal at K100,000.00 despite the apparent unfairness or exploitative nature of the price. In our free market economy, the market determines the price, period.

    • @Musana Wine:

      Going by the flag, I see that you are situated in the USA; now tell me the real market price of a gallon of milk without govt price controls? And America is a worshiper of the “free market system.” Please stop lying!

      There is no govt on earth that does not control prices, or see to it that markets are fair both ways. That’s why monopolies are fearlessly guarded against in Capitalistic economies; it is to prevent exploitation of consumers by corporations. “Business” is a system, its nature is to exploit until hell freezes over without any feelings of guilt. Governments on the other hand are setup to protect the “least among us,” and make sure trade is conducted fairly. Otherwise we cease to be humans and turn into animals where the “law of the jungle” is the creed!

  3. I hope in issuing the threats govt has considered all factors at play. Some of the questions to ask are is it all millers that are getting the so-called subsidised maize from FRA? Where do the millers outside the so-called “Operation flood the market” getting their maize supplies from and at how much given that this is the time of the year when maize is in short supply and prices are up? What are the production costs, including the minimum wage? etc. From where I stand I think the public has not been given full information on the situation, and I would urge the Millers Association to also give their side of the story behind the mealie meal price impasse.

    • I totally agree with your line of thought. I don’t think all millers received FRA maize and these are the issues which Gov will do well to explain. At the same time, the (gross) profit of K3000 (KR3) per 25 kg breakfast seems too low on the surface to support operations of millers, hence the need for the millers to come out and state how they are affected. Closing millers down will just worsen the situation as it is tantamount to promoting widespread mealie meal shortages which will cripple and bring down the government. There is need for soberness, vision and intelligence in dealing with this issue.

  4. This looks like the black market is back. The price of mealie meal should be left to the market forces. The government determines the sell price of maize by farmers. Commercial farmers have stopped growing maize and the nation is being fed by small scale farmers who are forced to subsidise mealie meal.

  5. and if he withdraws the license from the millers/traders, is he going to be selling the commodity to the general population himself?

  6. HH will fix this economically, the mistake we made was to put in state house an ex-policeman who solves proplems using threats & force. HH is the answer to what Zambia is going through economically & not an ex- swipper.

    • Don’t entrust individuals as solutions, what if its you who is the solution but you who is the solution is thinking HH is will Zed be saved?? Lets start thinking that each of us is the solution to this …………………………………….

    • TRUE. WE ALL ARE THE SOLUTION. MOST OF THE ATTACKS ON HEMCS ARE ACTUALLY COMING FROM PEOPLE WHO THINK THAT HH IS THE SOLUTION. WE WILL BE GOING ROUND IN CIRCLES. INFACT PRICE HIKES ARE A SEASONAL PHENOMENON. THIS TIME ROUND THE PRICES MAY GO UP. BUT AFTER THE HARVEST AGAIN THEY WILL TUMBLE DOWN. SO DONT BE EXCITED.

    • Mmmm thats why you are called under 5’s . To you only HH can be president as you said when putting him there as only a Tonga can be UPND president..shaaaaa

  7. There’s nothing as destructive as the combination of a LOUD MOUTH and an EMPTY HEAD. That’s Sata’s combo for you. Hold tight to your seats as we plunge back deep down into KK’s unlight tunnel!

    Levy, Magande, RB , Musokotwane, Fundanga WE MISS YOU!

  8. Ban this mealie meal, I want tests taken to approve there is no correlation to obesity, retardness, backwardness, short lifespans and brainwashed

    I just don’t understand why people eat this, I tried eating don’t get me wrong, but tell me ONE good reason why this should take precedence over rice. Just one Good reason.

    Please LT stop, the price the elite want to know is the price of a 1kg bag of bismatti rice

    Thanks

    • Mushota, Mushota, your ignorance sometimes is beyond amazing! It is really sad to note that this kind of pitiful shallowness comes from someone who claims to be a PhD candidate.

      Do you know that Maize (Corn) where corn meal (meali meal) is made from is in the same family of “grasses” called CEAREALS? So, scientifically there is very little or no difference between the two. It is the same with wheat. They are all great sources of carbohydrates which we humans need in large quantities in order to function.

      And do you realize that the “Cereal” you eat every morning for breakfast is primarily made from corn (maize)? And I am sure your NICK has been consuming this stuff since his childhood; now tell me how obese, retarded, backward, and brainwashed he is?!

    • Mushota, sometimes silence is better that making a comment that exposes your folly. Just because you don’t know how to prepare nsima (which you call Nshima) does not mean your grandma and anyone else in your clan should abandon it. If you been to a good school you will realise that foods like potatoes, rice and maize (including macaroni and spaghetti) are starch.

    • Mushota,sometimes you prove your dullness.Every zambian grew up eating meallie
      meal and that goes for you too.
      Look at this you dont even know the spelling of BASMATI rice

  9. Its encouraging to note that most Zambians have realised what a mistake in voting ‘Imbutuma’ to lead our nation is proving costly.
    We are now 30 years back of shortages, price controls and threats to productive industries. Zimbabwe is soon going to be better economicaly than Zambia.
    Zambia should brace for more suffering as anyone who thinks the opposition is causing these shortages, price controls is in denial of realities of things in Zambia. Arbitrally arrests of innocent Zambians before courts prove them guilty is worse than in ‘ZANU Pamberi’ led Zimbabwe gastapo state.

  10. THE PRESIDENT WAS VERY CORERECT AND SPOT-ON. IF MAIZE IS SUBSIDISED BY FRA, WE EXPECT TRADERS TO BE REASONABLE. AND THE PRESIDENT AS USUAL CAME TO THE RESCUE OF THE POOR MASSES. THATS WHY HE IS LOVED. THE OPPOSITION PARTIES WERE THINKING THAT SATA WILL BECOME UNPOPULAR BECAUSE OF THE HIKED PRICES. THEY EVEN STARTED AGITATING FOR PUBLIC RALLIES ALBEIT WRONGLY. THEY HAVE STOPPED AGITATING FOR RALLIES BECAUSE THERE IS NOTHING TO TALK ABOUT. THE M/MEAL COST BUT NOW THAT SATA HAS SOLVED THE PROBLEM, THEY ARE CRYING FOWL, GLOATING ABOUT PRICE CONTROLS ETC. THIS WAS POOR STRATEGY

  11. This government is really a lazy one at exercising that matter in-between the ears. Threats have never taken anyone anywhere especially when it comes to that animal called “Free Market”

    AC, with your wisdom remind your nephew freedom fighter colleague from the bygone era that there are grave repercussions to what the government is flirting with.

  12. Does the “presidential” directive to sell mealie meal at the cited prices make any economic sense to the millers. If it does then they should be prosecuted. But if it does not then they are justified to defy the directive lest their business are run into the ground. Something does not add up here on the side of government.

  13. 1) I will demolish shanty towns and build better “planned houses in 90 days.(ati tafakamo na ma shower)
    2) When PF comes into power there will be no load-shedding, no abuse of the public media and we will do away with the Public Order Act because it’s a colonial law.
    3) PF will create employment for the youths( tell the youths to smoke chamba for the last time today because when PF comes into power there will no time for them to smoke.)
    4) Better sanitation for everyone, 46 years of independence Zambians can not be using pit latrines. Under PF cholera will a thing of the past.
    5) We will increase bags of fertilizer for our farmers.
    6) People driven constitution within 90 days. Will also enact the Freedom of Information Bill.
    7) Reintroduce new taxes for the mines (windfall tax?)
    8)

  14. The PF party manifesto is modeled on the UNIP manifesto whose major component was price controls & centralized planning. The PF government clearly wants to take us back to the era of witch-hunting and vigilantism. Little wonder, the PF’s treachery case against Hon Given Lubinda is premised on clandestinely recorded telephone conversations which the beleaguered parliamentarian had on his cell phones with other persons. Watch this space….Mugabe type of politics are now firmly entrenched in Zambia.

  15. We don’t praise each other enough. I am going to heap praise LT on your ability to decimate the English language in one sentence. Case in point. Sentence number 1 🙂

    “The Government HAS THREATEN to withdraw trading licences from traders dragging their FEET’S IN reducing the price of mealie meal prices following a meeting held between the President Michael Sata and millers.”

    You won’t let us volunteer to help you so at least pretend to care 🙂

  16. This is real ukwanomics. Trying hard to empower the poor by impoverishing the rich. You can’t feed the slogan screaming hungry poor using non productive schemes. The govt should just set up chigayo in each compound to produce subsidised roller meal for these tujilijili imbibicers. Even then, they will next request for cheaper relish, salt, mpiripiri, cooking oil, charcoal etc. You can never please the masses all at once. The only workable solution is the trickle down effect. Support mass production and consumption will benefit eventually. Not the other way round

  17. I get surprise at creatures who always wish a curse on Zambia and yet they want to rule the same Zambia. Your resolve is to see poor Zambians suffering …what a dull strategy guys. Instead of fighting for Zambians , you are wishing them more suffering, do you think they can vote for you? Instead of agitating for lower mealie meal prices, you are praising the millers for the increase. Guys, don’t think Zambians are fools, they are watching your folly. They now know that you have no strategy beside rantings …shaaaa.

    Peace and Prosperity to Mother Zambia.

  18. empowerment is key, do it to he locals with condition that if govt provides hammer mills they will produce mealie-meal at such a price,give them maize with exports not permited mkt will flood…then leave the so called big millers alone.

  19. Our poverty really makes me sad. Do you know that even the mealie meal which we are crying for is considered not suitable for human consumption by the Donor Community!? Themselves grow maize for production of stockfeed and they actually fortify the maizemeal with vitamins and minerals to make it suitable for their animals to eat!! Sad, but true. If I were in government, I would lobby for a law to be passed which would make it illegal for millers to supply mealie meal which is not fortified with minerals, vitamins and fibre. Especially considering that the prevalence rate for HIV and diabetes are quite high. I would also lobby for subsidies in the production of healthier alternative foods such as potatoes.

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