SEVEN of the 2, 000 solar-powered milling units have been installed in Northern Province, bringing the price of mealie- meal down to K48 per 25 kilogramme bag of roller meal in Kasama District and surrounding areas.
So far, 100 of the 2,000 units, which are being procured by the Zambia Cooperative Federation (ZCF), have arrived in the country pending installation in selected districts.
The seven units have been commissioned and have since started offloading mealie-meal to Kasama residents, in the province where a 25 kilogramme bag of breakfast is going at K52, while the same quantity of roller meal is fetching at K48.
This is opposed to the situation among other suppliers in the province, who sell the commodity at about K100 per 25 kilogramme bag of breakfast and K80 for roller meal.
Both ZCF director, operations and projects Derrick Sokoni and Northern Province Cooperative Marketing Union (NPCMU) general manager Danny Mulenga confirmed the development in separate interviews yesterday.
“We have started offloading the cooperative mealie-meal to the public following the installation of the solar units in Kasama and Luwingu Districts.
“Our Breakfast is costing K52, while the roller meal is selling at K48 per 25 kilogramme bag. So you can see that our mealie-meal is sold cheaply compared to other millers, whose mealie- meal is costing K100 and K80,” Mr Mulenga said.
About six units have been installed in Kasama District, with one having being installed in Luwingu District.
The milling units have the capacity to produce 80 by 25 kilogramme bags of mealie-meal per day.
Mr Mulenga said the cooperative started offloading the mealie-meal to members of the public on Tuesday this week and attributed the lower prices to the sourcing of maize locally, among other factors.
He explained that as of Tuesday, the cooperative had 120 kilogramme bags of mealie-meal and had managed to sell over 50 bags by press time.
“The response from members of the public so far has been overwhelming. We expect that by the end of the day, more bags will be offloaded,” he said.
Mr Mulenga anticipated that mealie-meal prices would reduce further once the Cooperatives start buying the maize directly from the farmers.
Kasama resident, Malama Mulenga, who bought two 25 kilogramme bags commended the cooperative for selling their mealie-meal cheaply, saying that was what residents have been waiting for, for a long time.
ZCF director general, James Chirwa said the cooperative will soon start offloading mealie- meal in Solwezi District.
He said the cooperative would find ways of ensuring that consumers were not being exploited by the traders.
Two days ago, Mr Chirwa announced that another batch of the 49 solar-powered milling units had arrived in the country through Beira Port bringing the total number to 100.
A week ago, 48 units arrived through Nakonde border post and were dispatched to Kasama District for installation.
Comment:This is just nice. That means if 100 H/miils are Installed. There ll be 8000 bags of meali mill a day. This is the kind of talk would love to hear
Comment:This is just nice. That means if 100 H/millls are Installed. There ll be 8000 bags of mealie meal a day. This is the kind of talk would love to hear
This issue of roller meal in Zambia should come to an end. Why can’t start thinking of going to buy mealie meal other than classifying it as breakfast or not. Come to SA, those terms don’t exist cos it’s all breakfast meal. Every Zambian deserves quality mealie meal. I will be happy to see roller meal to be phased out one day.
In fact people should be eating Roller meal. It has more nutritional value than so-called Breakfast mealie meal.
MJ Banda uli mututu! Who told you roller meal is low-grade mealie meal? Roller meal does you good as compared to the over-refined, less nutritious breakfast meal.
BUT IF ITS NO LOW GRADE THEN WHY IS IT CHEAP?
@Mayiji Samatowe, it is cheap because millers do not spend a lot of resources (man hours, electricity, more specialized machinery, etc.) taking out nutrients. By the way, have you heard of the so called WHOLE FOODS and their nutritional value? And roller meal is closer to being WHOLE FOOD than breakfast meal.
It is like choosing to buy an expensive bottle of wine over a cheaper brand thinking that expensive wine is always better than cheaper ones—NOT NECESSARY TRUE!!!!
you are dull and your comments show that you are. Roller meal is more Nutritious than Breakfast meal. You are more health when you take roller meal as opposed breakfast meal.
@mj banda, why should roller meal be phased out. People have a choice, I personally like to eat nsima prepared from roller meal, reasons it has more nutrients than the breakfast one. So leave that to individuals please.
my friend the power of choice, some of us love roller meal because its healthy
bro, who told you that roller meal is low quality? am sure yo also think brown sugar is low quality and mealie from sorghum or millet is low quality. do your research properly
MJ Banda, that is ignorance you have used. Roller meal is very healthy for people with diabetes, HIV and hypertension. It has more roughage and therefore reduced carbohydrates to be converted into glucose by the body.
The news of hammer mills is beautiful. The miller’s association of Zambia (MAZ) has been behaving like a cartel and now we will see how they will maintain their exhobitant prices. Exploiters of the poor!
Infact breakfast is detrimental to those who are diabetic. Roller meal is the best and is more nutritious and more fibre. Breakfast is highly polished it simply full of nothing. Zambians should not be fooled by its whiter appearance, which is hang ovet of inferiority complex.
But is this rat venture sustainable?My projection is that it won’t last long,the move should have been more radical & proactive if firstly,government had extensively invested in parastatal farms for at least a year or so & produce not only maize but other food stuffs like millet,rice,cassava,sourgum!This move by this government is just one of these numerous corrupt ventures,its unsustainable!
I knew it that this will be your comment. Sam use your brain not your mouth.
They are compaining comrade Sam…
Another dull chap. Follow current affairs in the country and not always just reading M’membe and HH. Govt has bought all types milling plants suiting the crops grown in every district of the country. E.g Western province will have more plants for rice and Luapula will have more plants for cassava. Please learn to appreciate and listen to news.
thats what most pipo including the opposition , then, in 2010 about mobile hospitals. today most pipo have recieved good quality medical care from mobile hospital services. dont judge a book by its cover, wait and see
The working grz at work. GBM watch out for more shocking developments coming ur way
Let’s hope this is not a subsides Production , coz in the long run it will fail to sustain itself.
The United Detractors of Zambia who include Mmembe, Kabimba and Nawaki and her mouth and one Hh will not acknowledge this achievement. Rather, they will continue with their vicious campaign of hate adnauseum against Lungu. .
Shameful and nauseating indeed. But all they do is campaign for hardworking Lungu.
Iwe @The Civilised Sam, what is wrong with some of you intellectually lazy Zambians? Now you want govt to be involved in farming too? Aren’t govt’s hands already full doing other things? If you are smart as you want to portray yourself here, you would be jumping up and down in joy for an opportunity for you to engage in growing grain so that as these cooperatives grow you grow with them as a major supplier of grain to them. That’s how smart people think and do. NOT ALWAYS LOOKING TO GOVT TO DO EVERYTHING FOR YOU! Let the govt provide an enabling environment for businesses to spring up and grow. And NOT govt getting involved in everything. Get off your lazy behind and head on home to go and be part of the solution before foreigners snap up all these opportunities while you stay on the…
Comrade Yambayamba well said. Your kind are what this country needs not the so called civilized with nothing to show for it.
The cheapest mealie – meal is only in Nothern Province, what about other Province?
Great comment Yambayamba- the government dependancy syndrome has to come to an end in Zambia.
But why start with Kasama? Could that be tribalism or what? ohoo yaba, targeting the Kasama big boss. To de campaign GBM. Nontheless pf you should have started with Kalabo or Mufumbwe.
Imwe naimwe bupuba ubo what’s wrong with starting with Kasama? What tribalism are you talking about? Haven’t you heard that the programme is rolling out? Think with your brain not with your tribe.
@ barotse buffalo
Seniormostman, what do you expect from minds that never think of anything other than tribe. What about the ones going to Solwezi, is it because Bembas came with them from Luba-Lunda kingdoms? Stop hallucinating you buffalo!
Comment: Solar powered maize mill is a great idea. I am a small scale miller and I will be going solar as soon as I can. And surely the price of my ufa will go down because electric power is a major input cost.