ABOUT 200 solar-powered milling plants are expected to be installed by next month to help mitigate the high prices of mealie-meal in the country, Zambia Co-operative Federation (ZCF) director general James Chirwa has said.
Last year, President Lungu said Government was working with ZCF to set up solar-powered hammer mills to help reduce the price of mealie-meal and that the initiative would create over 3,000 jobs for Zambians.
In an interview on Friday, Mr Chirwa said the construction of milling houses and concrete slabs across the country for the assembling of equipment is progressing well.
He said the next consignment for equipment is expected in the country by mid- February and that the project will speed up rural industrialisation.
“The shipment [of equipment] will start rolling in by mid-February, so by the end of next month, we should have gotten 200 units…We should be able to finish constructing the milling houses where the [equipment] will be placed [soon],”
“…By the end of next month, we will have a number of sites in operation, including Southern Province, where we have already put up 55 slabs waiting for the installation of the equipment,” he said.
Mr Chirwa said the organisation has also identified 20 sites in high- density areas under Lusaka Province, which include Chongwe, Kafue, Chibombo and Chilanga, for the project.
He said the co-operative has completed the construction of about 25 milling houses in Northern Province.
“In Eastern Province, we have completed building slabs in Chadiza, Chipata, Lundazi and we are now moving into Katete this week. Thereafter, we will cover Sinda, Petauke and Nyimba,” he said.
For Muchinga Province, the co-operative has finished putting up a number of slabs in Nakonde which includes Isoka, Chinsali and Mpika.
still not up to people’s expectation. what about Luapula and N/western? by now one would ‘ve expected at least two to be operational in each provincial capital
Surely all these hammer-mill imported from China at what cost via a Presidential directive and with no budget planning….the hammer itself would have been made in Zambia and the solar power unit would been brought in at half the cost. All even the private sector would have been challenged to manufacture this simple machine and promote local manufacturing and engineering sector. In the long run such imported things will be costly to maintain…No wonder we are indebted with such reckless spending.
Last gasps of a dying Hyena. Whatever you do we’ve made up our minds. August 2016 ni forward chabe! To hell with unplanned expenditure trying to appease the voter. By the way all the maize that is supposed to be milled has been exported.
Mr. Chirwa explain how and why you got a play ground in bauleni to put up a solar mill.
Did you consult the area MP Dr.Guy Scot and other local leadership for changing the use of the children play ground.
Did the Bauleni cooperative apply for the solar mill
Did LCC offer the land to ZCF
I smell a rat
Are there anymore play grounds/parks for children in Zambia? In our neighborhood there is school which had two playgrounds and the members of the communities were catered for free, but right now there are houses their; and i’m sure there are many of such instances and nobody has questioned the City Administrators. For me at least a solar powered Mill would leave a little bit of space where children can have some physical education than the houses would leave – now we are raising weak/anemic children who can’t do any sport because there are no facilities. In the past there facilities used to be in every neighborhood but they have all been converted to plots with no space in between.
James you grew up in townships, this open space is busy 24/7 as children play, football, chidunu etc.
Only targeting upnd stronghold,places like chongwe,chibombo,kafue,chilanga all were grabbed by HH in by election, we want proper planning,speaking on behalf of food security pack program under community development up to now no urea hw do u expect poor farmers to have high yield when pf govt has completely ignored the farmers, by february if that is when urea shall be delivered to districts expect poor harvest and hunger by pf’s lack of priority
You Zambians are amazing! you object to almost everything as long as its coming from the government. You praise everything that comes from your so called learned HH even it does not make sense! This project is not done to appease the elite like you and your leader but for the ordinarily suffering Zambian. This is the development you have been crying for and when its brought to your door step…. you still want to complain.