MEALIE Meal prices have remained high in most parts of Lusaka despite government’s intervention to reduce the price of the commodity.
And Agriculture and Livestock deputy Minister Greyford Monde is optimistic that the soaring mealie meal prices will reduce once the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) offloads maize to the millers.
Mr Monde said in Lusaka yesterday that the FRA also released maize to communities for people who could not afford to buy mealie meal to instead buy the grain and grind it.
Government recently banned the export of Mealie Meal and instructed the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) to release 50, 000 tonnes of maize on the market in an effort to stabilize the price of Mealie Meal in the country.
A check conducted in Lusaka yesterday revealed that a 25 Killograme (kg) bag of breakfast mealie meal was ranging from K68 to K75 while roller meal was ranging from K50 to K55 contrary to governments directive of Mealie Meal prices not exceeding K65 per 25kg breakfast and K45 per 25 kg bag of roller meal.
And traders talked to said they could not reduce the price of mealie because the millers were still selling the commodity at a high price.
They said they could only reduce and follow the governments’ directive if the millers first reduced the prices.
And Charles Munakabunda a trader said government should ensure that the millers reduced the price of the commodity because as at 3nd January a 25kg bag of breakfast mealie meal was going at K65 and roller meal at K45.
“I bought a 25kg of mealie meal from Pembe, Simba and A1 milling at K65 per 25kg of breakfast mealie meal hence following governments’ directive of selling the commodity at k65 is impossible because I will be making a loss,” he said.
Another trader Joseph Meseli who spoke on the vain echoed the same sentiments.
And in Kitwe, the price of mealie meal has remained high despite calls by Government for the commodity to be reduced to reasonable price.
A check around town by the Times yesterday showed a 25kg bag of breakfast mealie meal was still pegged at a price above K70 in most milling outlets.
At Antelope Milling outlet, a 25kg breakfast bag was found selling at K74 while the same bag was found fetching at K70 in Shoprite.
The similar 25kg Antelope brand was found on the black market being sold at a price as high as K77 around Chisokone Market.
We are back in KK era. Mealimeal is being sold on the black markets by the road side.
Wanzelu…who introduced black market?
KK and Sata
We don’t need government calls to reduce the price of commodities. But we need a proper agricultural system that will flood the market with cheap maize. Don’t say its a regional problem. Zambia has more water bodies in the sub sahara.
who do u think shud engage in agriculture…its u and me. unfortunately us in rural zambia ve got nothing to worry about…we re happy with infrastructure development…foodwise we re equipped..never put a blame on PF..its a hard working government…they re making us roads in rural areas and surprisingly we re able to debate online which never used to happen…if u can’t afford life in Lusaka simply becos u re lazy come on join us in the village we will give u land….viva PF viva Sata
CAN THE GRZ INTERVENE IN THIS SITUATION. FRA ARE JUST TOO SLOW IN IMPLEMENTING THE OFFLOADING OF WHITE MAIZE TO MILLERS. ITS TAKING 02 WEEKS ONCE A MILLER APPLIES FOR MAIZE. PLEASE GRZ COME ON BOARD AND ASSIST.
There is no maize left. They off loaded quite a lot already and are having talks to buy extra maize from SA.
Stop complaining. Just kick out sata
wilalila ashshshshshssssssssssssssss donchi baba hahahahahahaha
What is mealie meal? I can find this word in the dictionary let alone online dictionary?? Can people eat that stuff? What about rice, macarroni spagheti etc and feed the maize thing to animals?
FRA is releasing stock but cautiously to avoid strategic stock outs before the next harvest.Govt’s intervention results on mealie meal will manifest soon but gradually.people are still excited and still hiding the commodity creating unnesessary demand and panic.this will be no more soon as offloading maize continues.
Ba LT should be editing your writings “the price of ….. at 3nd January a 25kg bag”
I remember one time you were laughing the Kitwe city for writing 2rd street
I THOUGHT IF THE PRICES INCREASE THEN THIS IS DEVELOPMENT AND MORE MONEY IN BUSSINESS MEN AND COMPANIES.WHY COMPLAINING WHEN THIS IS GOOD DEVELOPMENT TO TOWN PEOPLE WHO VOTED FOR PF
This is really CNP, trying to force everything . By the time PF leaves Zambia will become
The poorest country in the world. There is no proper planning, or proactive moves to address problems before they arise, PF is heading towards total collapse with many
Challenges coming our ways , now offloading is failing them.
FRA offloading maize to millers slowly at k85/50kg, at this price mealy meal will cost k80…what government intervention ?…get real
Honest/retailers millers are very few: most of them have capitalized on the situation to make profit or is it politically influenced to make PF unpopular? This is a distracter for government’s agenda to develop the country.Whatever the case let us all be patriotic and honest to make Zambia develop. Rome was not built in a day. FRA should take this advantage and put up milling plants in all maize belt areas and urban areas to neutralize the fake high mealie meal prices.