Zambia may face a shortage of soft drinks in the next few days because Zambia Breweries Company, the manufacturer of soft drinks, is facing a critical shortage of specialty sugar.
The specialty sugar is used to manufacture soft drinks such as coca cola, fanta and sprite.
Acting Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry, Siakalenge Siazongo, disclose this development to ZANIS in Lusaka today but asked members of the public not to panic about the imminent shortage of soft drinks.
“Zambia Breweries is facing a critical shortage of specialty sugar, which is the sugar used to manufacture soft drinks. As a result, this may affect the supply of soft drinks in the next few days,” he said.
Mr. Siazongo explained that as a result of the shortage of the specialty sugar, Zambia Breweries lost 36 hours of production of soft drinks last week and only operated half day yesterday.
He said today, the company did not produce any soft drinks at all.
He said this specialty sugar has to be imported from Durban, South Africa or Malawi through the Zambia Sugar Company.
Mr. Siazongo however said a truck load of specialty sugar is on the way and would arrive in the country in the next three days.
“During this period, Zambia may face a shortage of soft drinks,” he said.
He said Zambia Breweries was however contemplating importing drinks from Zimbabwe or South Africa to cushion the shortage during the period it will not be manufacturing the drinks.
Supply Chain at ZB must be checked. It’s such a shame that we can import even soft drinks. Nakambala sugar can be awarded a contract to make the specialty sugar. Please act now. Why should the Minister announce this shortage? Where is the autonomy of the ZB or its PR?
It is our hope that ba stubborn Mugabe with not halt importion of drinks from zim, or in deed halt passage of drinks from RSA through zim, considering the sentiments of Chuumbwe. Ba Chuumbwe, they say, “wiponta ukabwela”.
Iwe #2
Mugabe is a clever dude and would never turn down an opportunity to make money because of Chuumbwi…. No wonder the Zimbabwen businesses are still ranking 2nd behind south africa in SADC despite the sanctions.
Soft drinks may be a necessity to some section of society but variously it is a luxury. I am not sure who is panicking as the Acting PS of Commerce puts it. It the same MMD that allowed creation of these monopolies. We had our indigenous drinks such as Tarino, etc. Importing soft drinks is shocking considering that it is foreign exchange involved.
In the mean time, Let’s all just enjoy the ‘beers’!
I agree with you #5, am sure our women folk now have a justiable cause to come home drunk from ‘vitendeni’.(kitchen parties)
why can’t Zambia sugar produce this specialty. that is why our drinks in Zambia are much more expensive in the whole region.
I THINK ZAMBIAN, WITH A POPULATION OF OVER 11 MILLION, IS THE ONLY COUNTRY ON THE EARTH WITH ONLY ONE COMPANY PRODUCING SOFT DRINKS… THE IDEAL OF IMPORTING EVEN “SOFT DRINKS” IS AN EMBRASSMENT TO THE ECONOMY AND THE COUNTRY AS WHOLE!
WE HAVE PLENTY OF MANGOES, “BIG MANGO”, “BOLO MANGO”, “SMALL MANGO”, PLENT OF PINEAPPLES FROM MWINILUNGA, PAW PAW, “NTUMBWEZA”, “MASOKU” AND MUCH MORE… WHY NOT MAKE FRUIT JUICE OR SOFT DRINKS FROM THESE TO SUPPLEMENT THE SOFT DRINKS FROM THE ZAMBIA BREWERIES?
# 1.Zambia sugar produces speciality sugar but has failed to cope with demand from Zambia Breweries.
# 8.Thr r several companies producing soft drinks in Zambia lik California Beverages,TradeKings.Former Lyons in Ndola should be Lynx now.
its not only the carbonated stuff that is considered ‘soft’ drinks.
we DO produce drinks in zambia. what about thirsty squash, jolly juice etc?
even super maheu can be very refreshing!
and there’s those dudes from california beverages or whatever they call themselves. they make drinks. so does trade kings i think.
i hear the guy that makes thirsty juice is loaded now.
we HAVE drinks people! buy zambian!
now you guys have got me started, what about APPLE MAX?
I agree with#1. Why should the announcement be made by a civil servant on behalf of a plc?
WOOOOOOO!!! to the Zed companies to make money to the shortage.Let us support the local companies
Dear esteemed zambian ladies and gentlemen abroad, pleas come back home. This market is just to big for me. I came back in Dec 2006 from the Uk. belive me it was the best move i made. Chinese and indians are taking all your wealth. Belive me i am battling/competing with these pipo, but i have the homegrown advantage. I was a electronics engineer in the uk. Now in Zambia i have 6 cabs, 3 shabeeins, I supply and do work ZNBC, and zamtel. my wife was a chef, she now owns and runs her own gest hse. I am embarking on manufacture of circuit boards for use in zambia with funding from UN and all is in place. Pleas just come back, life is good hear. Don’t listen otherwise.
Cont..
i pains me to see some of the contracts i can not do for znbc and zamtel because of workload, go to foriegners. When i know fullwell our brothers and sisters aborad are capable. These frorigners are getting rich. Too much work in Zambia. Even Katumbi is back. Carry on wasting your time making tea for white pipo, you will become “a phiri ana bwela”. I guarantee you even if you have no money as long as you can work, in 1 year you be upand runing. OHHhhh i need to collect money from my shabeeins…..
The PS has misled us all. He should have said that they’ll be a shortage of coke and fanta; not a shortage of soft drinks. Like everyone above has already observed; we have a lot of locally produced soft drinks. Coke and fanta are not even an everyday drink for the majority of Zambians nowadays. Kids drink apple max, their mother drink ciders and their fathers drink lager! The only reliable market for coke and fanta now is weddings and kitchen parties. But I hear even those are drifting away from fanta culture. Bottomline, nobody will even notice the shortage.
English is a foreign chitundu indeed shortage of soft drink means all the softies including apple max and thirty. shortage of carbonated drink or coke and fanta would have been ok and it can not be a Panic pliz. we have cabana drink as well.
ha ha ha SARA mother drink ciders, fathers lager goood one.
I thought Coca Cola comes in a special package from the USA, atleast that is what I remember learning sometime in Primary school or so.
Anyhow, why should we import stuff from Zimbabwe when the Zimbabwe people are crying foul on lack of food. Please, let us not worsen the Zimbabwe Problem.
On Zambia Sugar plc, let it make sure the profit it made last season be put into proper use. The nation surely must not suffer at the expense of lack of economic will.
Cut the whole long short, drink beer it will save you the trouble.
#6 not just women, civil servants especially cops have a good reason to get drunk at lunch breaks.
Cut the whole long story short, drink beer it will save you the trouble.
#6 not just women, civil servants especially cops have a good reason to get drunk at lunch breaks.
no problem even if no drinks after all pipo drink cok and fanta once in a while. if it was mealimeal, all zedians would have been affected and it would have been noticeble.dont panic mr siakalenga.
Still have enough munkoyo and maheu, who needs chemical drinks
#24 Traditional, Yes! I had exactly the same thought.You should be Minister of Commerce.
I suggest that soft drinks hung,cause they do more harm than good,why bother over something that can destroy your health.Let them concentrate on brewing alcohol instead,cause thats what we need to help us forget about our poverty amd miseries which no govt will ever solve.If zambian breweries can start also manufacturing bomb (crest) or hippo larger in place of mosi and rhino larger,that will be tangeable development to us who only hear and read about improved economy on paper.
bonse mwalasa
Bushe elyo balesosa pa ma “soft drinks” yene…nabalaba ati sugar generally is in short supply in Zambia????!!! I know for a fact that in Chingola there is a shortage!