Kitwe District Commissioner, Chanda Kabwe, has urged millers in the country not to politicise the price of mealie-meal by hiking them without genuine justification.
Mr Kabwe said load shedding, which is one of the reasons advanced by the millers for increasing the mealie-meal prices, is not a reason enough for millers to hike the price of the country’s staple food.
He said the country has enough maize and the Food Reserve Agency is still buying maize which will be offloaded on the market at an appropriate time for millers to have enough maize stock.
Mr Kabwe noted that the millers are still using the maize stock from the previous harvest season and since then government has not increased the fuel price for millers to attribute the hike in the mealie-meal price to the high cost of production.
And Mr Kabwe has commended millers in Kitwe for not increasing the price of mealie-meal contrary to the announcement by the Millers Association of Zambia that millers have increased the price of mealie-meal.
The DC said he was happy that the millers in Kitwe were partnering with government in ensuring that people afford to buy the staple food.
He added that there was need for millers to pass on to the consumers the benefits of the subsidies that government is implementing through the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP).
Millers in some parts of the country have increased the mealie-meal prices to about K73,000 for a 50 kilogramme of breakfast.
The Millers Association of Zambia has attributed the hike to the high cost of production caused by power load shedding among other factors.
THE MILLERS WILL REACT ACCORDING TO THE MARKET FORCES. IF THEIR COST OF PRODUCTION GOES UP THEN THEYY TOO HAVE TO RAISE THEIR PRICE TO REMAIN IN BUSINESS. WHEN GOVERNMENT ADDRESSES THE NEEDS OF THE MILLERS INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ELECTRICITY SUPPLY COST OF RAW GRAIN AND MOST OF ALL TRANSPORTATION THE THEY CAN TALK ABOUT PRICE. BEFORE THEN GOVERNMENT SHOULD SHHHHH THEY ARE THE REASON WHY THIS IS HAPPENING. USELESS DC AND GOVERNMENT.
I have never seen such dull reasoning mwee.
Mr Kabwe said “load shedding, which is one of the reasons advanced by the millers for increasing the mealie-meal prices, is not a reason enough for millers to hike the price of the country’s staple food.”
Answer- The millers have fixed costs which should be covered by volumes of production, now those volumes have reduced due to load shedding, so the only way Bwana Dc is to increase the price to cover those fixed costs. I hope you know what fixed costs are.
Mr Kabwe noted that the millers are still using the maize stock from the previous harvest season and since then government has not increased the fuel price for millers to attribute the hike in the mealie-meal price to the high cost of production.
Answer : fuel was increased this year, secondly the millers are buying maize from an…
Answer : fuel was increased this year, secondly the millers are buying maize from an open market were they are competing with foreign buyers who have taken advantage of the weak kwacha. DC i hope this helps!
Mwaiche Kabwe Mealie meal is serious politics. Ask K aunda he will tell you the reason he was chased from state house was in part due to mealie meal. Ku nshimaa te kwa ku angalila nakalya we mwaume.