GOVERNMENT says it is not possible to standardize the prices of mealie-meal in the country.
Agriculture and Livestock Minister Given Lubinda said yesterday that it was difficulty to standardize the mealie-prices meal due to many players involved in.
“At the moment it is not possible to standardize the prices of mealie-meal due to many different players involved in,”Mr Lubinda said.
But Eastern Province Chamber of Industry (EPPCI) president Thomas Mtonga attributed the high mealie-meal prices due to lack of millers in the province.
He said currently most of the mealie-meal which was being sold in the region was from Lusaka.
Mr Mtonga said the best way to resolve the mealie-meal prices was to encourage the local millers to do the work in the province.
He recalled that during the existing of the defunct Eastern Province Cooperative Union which had an affiliate of districts cooperative union in Petauke, Lundazi and Chipata as well as Luangwa Integrated Resources Development Programme which was found in Mfuwe there was no mealie-meal hike in the province.
Mr Mtonga said when the plants went under as a result of privatization, the province had experienced high mealie-meal prices.
It’s not easy? Why should i keep paying you a salary if you can’y do your job? You can’t have my tax money with that mentality, Mr. Lubinda.
guys..let the market forces dictate..why do want to turn zambia into Zimbabwe; besides such pronouncements should have been made by the Millers association and not GRZ.
THIS IS THE DEMOCRACY THAT U ASKED FOR. GRZ CANNOT TAKE OVER PRICE CONTROL, THEY CAN ONLY DO WHAT THEY CAN VIA DIALOGUE WITH STAKEHOLDERS, IF U WANT GRZ PRICE CONTROL THEN GO BACK TO KK TYPE OF GRZ. OR DICTATORSHIP
Then leave it to people who are capable of doing it. This is the most ignoramus government ever. Why fight for power when you are clearly incapable of performing.
Privatization of milling plants arose out of chronic shortages of certain essential commodities. These included mealie meal, flour, bread, cooking oil, sugar, shoe polish. In any commandist economy, basic items tend to be of low quality, sacrce and expensive on the black market. This is the story of how MMD was born out of the hardships that characterized the downfall of UNIP. Even the provincial cooperative marketing unions needed basic economic fundamentals to perform well.
Market forces,cost of production and transport costs are the determinants’.It’s a fallacy to standardize the price of the commodity when rural retailers get the commodity from urban areas.And in a free market economy,government has no business in fixing prices of goods.So stop dreaming that only this can do this and that.
Mr Lubinda, president Edgar Lungu was very clear on reducing mealie meal prices during campaigns. His message was that millers would be encouraged to establish milling plants closer to the people i.e province and even at district level so that transport costs are minimised. The message to you our beloved minister is that this is the time to start to implement such pronouncements. We hold you in high esteem and the ministry you are leading is very critical to the economy. It has the ability to stabilise the economy if properly handled. But if not careful, it will prove to you to be too big. Remember that its not just prices of mealie meal. You also need to look at NCZ, FRA, FISP, VET and the department which is so dear to me but almost going into oblivion FISHERIES. Its not acceptable for…
Why not give tax holidays to those who have money to put up milling plants in rural areas? That is how you create employment and reduce the rural-to-urban drift!
Diversify the diet encourage and reaward farmers who are growing rice, potatoes, yam etc……stop meddling with market forces…..there are so many options I have lived 3 years without maize meal and still suffered.
*… still survived.
Agreed Jay Jay. It is the Zambian obssesion with nshima which is astonishing. We must vary our diets and some sanity will begin to prevail in this sector
Exactly…nishima is not even nutritious when compared to what our West African colleagues are eating. This mindset of Unipist thinking is outdated.
I am surprised at the news that Eastern Province has no milling company. Weird to say the least.
Then why did you announce a standard reduction of four kwacha?
This is free market economy and Government has no business in talking about standardizing prices. They can however play a role in reducing the cost of inputs, fertilizer fuel and the like. Lubinda in my mind is not the right person to b in that portfolio, it should have been given it to someone with a background in agriculture, farming not that of running a bar in chilenje south The problem in this country all appointments are based on appeasement and not meritocracy.
@Thrash metal findout the qualifications that Hon Lubinda holds before you insinuate. Among his qualifications is a very powerful diploma in Agriculture Business Management from Natural Resources Development College(NRDC). So agriculture flows in his blood but that on its own is not a guarantee for success. Its a critical and political ministry.