Friday, March 29, 2024

Agriculture Minister expresses shock at the high prices of mealie meal in the country

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Agriculture minister Wilbur Simuusa
Agriculture minister Wilbur Simuusa (L)

Agriculture and Livestock Minister Wilbur Simuusa has described the high mealie-meal prices in the country as shocking.

Mr Simuusa said today when he paid a courtesy call on Eastern Province Minister Malozo Sichone in his office in Chipata that it was shocking that Zambia despite being the major supplier of maize in Southern region, the prices of mealie-meal had remain high.

The minister said there was no proper justification on why the mealie-meal in the country was very expensive and said amicable solution must be found in order to benefit many Zambians who were struggling to get the commodity.

The minister said he had already met Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU) and said he was yet to meet Millers Association of Zambia (MAZ) on the way-forward over the issue of mealie-meal prices.

“It is very shocking that a bag of mealie-meal is very high in the country and I have already met ZNFU and I am yet to meet MAZ in order to resolve this matter,”Mr Simuusa said.

He said Zambians should not suffer with the issue of the mealie-meal in the country. Mr Simuusa also disclosed that he would in few weeks’ time flag off the distribution exercise of fertiliser in the country.

The minister said the Government believed that by September this year all farmers should receive the farming inputs.

He explained that Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia (NCZ) has already started the production of fertilizer for the distribution to the farmers for the 2014/15 farming season.

He said it was also saddening that Camp Agriculture Committees (CACs) were failing the farmers across the country. Mr Simuusa said it was also disheartening that the cooperatives movement was siphoning money from the farmers.

He commended the Eastern Province for being the highest producer of farming inputs.

And Mr Sichone said Tanzania had the lowest prices in terms of food. The provincial minister also wondered why the price mealie-meal in the country was very high despite Zambia being being the major exporter of farm produce such as maize to the neighboring countries.

He said Chipata had the millers who were fond of telling stories on the issue of production of mealie-meal.

58 COMMENTS

  1. Really? where have you been sir? people have been complaining about this for ages and this is when you are getting the message. While are shocked that prices of unga are high, I am shocked that you didn’t know

    • As the minister of this particular sector and industry these are the things he should know about on a daily basis. Shocked!!…Don’t worry though…he has identified problems that need solving…maybe by next year…by which time we will all be starving, beaten and over run by violence. Can people not see this is the Mugabe route. Mock at your own peril, these sudden recognitions of price, airfields and other revelations are a smoke screen. It’s already happened but reported late…to absolve those who are responsible. WAKE UP ZAMBIA!!!!

    • He is shocked because he was Minister of foreign affairs just a few weeks ago and was enjoying traveling and rubbing shoulders with world leaders,now that he has been ‘demoted’ and forced to rub shoulders with the unwashed masses he is shocked to see how PF is messing up.
      To help you catch up with what you missed sir, while you were in the air…Zambia is not expecting a good harvest this year because you government failed to deliver farming inputs on time last year.I’m sure the media appreciate your sweet talk but your government lied to farmers last year and we don’t trust a word you are saying of inputs arriving in September this year.Save your psychobabble for the Post newspapers we are not kids to accept your drivel.

    • Really?! ,,, and good stupi.d excuse, he doesnt know the price of mealie meal because he minister of foreign affairs, he just moved to the ministry of agriculture,,, really?! does one need to be a minister of agriculture to know the cost of mealie meal in Zambia?!
      The high prices of mealie meal, other commodities, the sinking value of kwacha against the dollar etc have been extensively covered by the post, zambia daily mail and times of Zambia pro PF papers which Sumuusa gets for free daily,,,, how possible is it that this Simuusa guy who only eats rice at his home has been in the dark all along??.

    • it was shocking that Zambia despite being the major supplier of maize in Southern region, the prices of mealie-meal had remain high…

      this statement above is wrong, this minister he is not aware that he is talking of history. the above statement was only applicable under MMD. Please Mr usless, chipuba minister, maize does not fall from heaven but requires clear policy direction and financial support to realize that maize you are talking about. the talks with ZNFU and MAZ will not produce the maize. Remember you second in command has asked farmers to help export the maize this year. Wait the real price is coming soon.

    • That’s what happens when you eat free mealie meal on Chinese accounts – you can’t even tell how the price rises… Welcome to Zambia iwe minister ( or is it MONSTER)?

  2. Oh please, give us a break. Have you been hiding under a rock for you to be shocked TODAY at the price of mealie meal? And If I may ask , what do you, your family and clan eat ? Nandos Chikcen or KFC everyday? That explains why you look obese.

    • When you are out of touch, that is what it exactly means………Wilbur, this can cost you your job….you have to be careful before you open your mouth and before someone calls you USELESS because you are living in your own world my brother from a different mother!

    • He is doing a Marie Antoinette by the look at his face and his statements. Telling us to eat cake if mealie meal is that expensive.

  3. Dont be shocked. Its clear that PF is doing nothing. Be Serious people are suffering. Us we can tell you through these sites yet you never take it serious. Time will come for you to go like MMD.

  4. Where have you been you gonad to express shock over the high price of ubunga. Stop mocking people and begin to find your exit in 2016 ba pompwe imwe

  5. “He commended the Eastern Province for being the highest producer of farming inputs. ”

    Can somebody help me understand this statement?

  6. I am shocked bwana Minister that you are the Jew who doest know what is happening in Zambia.No wonder sata says his ministers are useless.
    The greatest shocking is coming dear.

  7. PF *****s including their cadres behave as if they are from another world.for them everything is a shock.HH time and again talks of mealie being expensive.yet cadres on this blog feel he is a cry baby.i wonder how PF cadres get money to buy mealie meal.

  8. mr simuusa why did you as pf ministers increase your transport allowances by k1400 when you removed subsides for maize if the removal of fuel and maize subsides were to befite the poor. is the high price of meali meal the benefit for the poor zambian voters any way lets meet at the pools in 2016 sir

    • In the PF books of economics and governance increase in price of bunga is a sign of good times. this is in line with pro-poor policies remove subsidies and increase cost of living so that all can be declared poor. this way they can govern the poor, that is strategy of PF pro-poor strategies

  9. Well, I am shocked to hear that you are shocked about the shockingly high mealie meal prices, have you just come back from a 2.5 year comatose sir?

  10. It is a tired tactic. So this guy assumes we will forgive his ignorance because he was Minister in a different ministry??? Really??? And they have Cabinet meetings??? Towards elections there will be mass injection of subsidy-style reductions to some of these consumables affecting the masses in the hope that the usual gullibility that has been sustained for the past 50 years will once again win them re-election. This is soooo pathetic it is not even funny anymore.

    • It will be an insult of the highest degree if pf brought back subsidies before the elections. A vote of no confidence in themselves, that said the pf will not reintroduce them.

  11. These chaps must think about the implications of their statements! The minister is not f00lish but the statement is.

  12. ========

    I ve noticed a critical shortage of PFuvuzelas on this thread.

    Hey! Please come up and unshock your USELESS minister.

    • We are mauless! Sorry we were not programmed to respond to a Minister speaking the truth.

      Thanks.
      On behalf of all PF cadres !

    • Kikikiki LOLEST

      And I am sure Mealie meal is expensive because of:

      MMD – You see PF inherited poor policies from MMD
      HH – He is always insulting the presido
      Congo DR – There is so much hatred coming from the border area
      RSA – can some one remind what they did?

      Oh I nearly forgot ….

      The MH370 airline – how could it disappear without warning or a trace?

  13. Madness at its level best. where were you when you same people removed subsidies on maize without looking at the production of mealie meal.

  14. You are really a flat wheel Mr minister. whilst you were all over the world, prices have been going up and your friends(Pa Fisushi) have been lynching people all over. Uzilez minister.

  15. The price of mealie meal depends on production costs. Maize is currently expensive because cost of fuel and farming other inputs are very high. So I am guessing you will remain shocked until 2016.

  16. The shocked fat minister needs to know that the prblem with zambias high cost mealie-meal or food in general is as a result of Corruption, poor political decisions,rapid population growth- too much breeding pa zambia,cash crops dependence and yes make it easy and cheaper to aquire the so called farming inputs.
    The sooner he looks and the factors the better for the majority poor who soley depends on the commodity.

  17. Expressing concern about high costs or taking cognizance of them might be easier to sell to members of the public.

  18. Even me I got surprised….”farming Imput”. !!!
    Let them open Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia in Kafue and all these issues will end. WHTS THE PROBLEM with Africans….!!!!

  19. Am shocked that Simusa is shocked at the high price of maelie meal. I thought the useless minister was educated enough to understand basic principles of pricing in economics. He has forgotten the removal of subsidies, inlation rate, depretiation or votility of the kwacha, high cost of inputs. He is indeed a useful *****. By the way are farmers in eastern province producing inputs? A suprissed by the comment.

  20. Chikwanda lets economy (and Kwacha) slide by poor policies, Kambwili disasters the stadium and buys,by forging, useless degrees. Simuusa is shocked at ground situation of common peoples’ cost of living, Sata walks in slow, really slow motion zombie style in Europe…and hibernates in State House.

    Come on fellow Zambians, this Sata and PF must go…..

  21. Shocked….Chikwanda lets economy (and Kwacha) slide by poor policies, Kambwili disasters the stadium and buys,by forging, useless degrees. Simuusa is shocked at ground situation of common peoples’ cost of living, Sata walks in slow, really slow motion zombie style in Europe…and hibernates in State House.

    Come on fellow Zambians, this Sata and PF must go…..

  22. These guys who swindle the tax payers of they’re hard earned money don’t eat unga. Of course his shocked… busy eating ma caviar na ma escargo. You think he has nsima na kapenta on his menu? As the rich get richer, the poor get poorer and the middle class struggles not to be poor.

  23. That is PF for you!!!! A bunch of retards who have no clue on how to government a country. And have no clue to what is going on!

  24. Am always wary of people who shout the loudest before they can do the job. This minister said he will do better than his predecessor. He gotten off to a start that gives the firm belief that people who refuse to use Their brains still exist.

  25. He cannot know, most of the things are free for him. I don’t think he even eats nshima, am sure he eats beacon, macaroni and so on, because if he eats where then does he buy his meal meal?

  26. Its normal not to know if you dont get there. I never knew how much the bag of mealie meal was. People started talking about the bag of mealie meal being expensive and I took keen interest to know. Someone in the village cant know, the person who doesnt buy the commodity cant know. They can only know if they are directly involved. Like him he was in another ministry, and the minister by then Bob was responsible who liked talking too much when MMD was in government as if he knew how to run the economy and it has proved the other way.

    For the Minister of Agriculture to get surprised now, it means that he has accepted that the economy is rotten and there is no need to pretend on the part of the head of state and his muzungu. What can be good for this country is for him to start working.

  27. Finshi mulya mweo ba tata? That is why madam Nawakwi aptly describes Simusa as a dull and useless Minister! So what you gonna do about? Bring back subsidies? Or tell farmers to grow ‘macaroni’

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