A SHORTAGE of mealie-meal has hit major retail outlets in Livingstone although the supply of the commodity has remained stable in other trading outlets in the tourist Capital.
A check conducted by Times of Zambia in Livingstone yesterday revealed that Spar and Shoprite town centre outlets had run out of mealie meal by press time in the morning.
However, Shoprite Musi O’Tunya Square outlet only had few bags of 25 Kilogram (kg) of National milling roller meal by mid-morning.
A 25kg bag of breakfast mealie meal bag was initially going at K74.99 in Shoprite and K 85.50 in Spar while a 25kg bag of roller meal was fetching at K 58.99 in Shoprite and K 66.30 in Spar.
A National milling Shoprite town centre merchandiser, who declined to be named, said the commodity was expected to be in stock later by yesterday.
“We don’t have mealie meal right now and we feel for the traders who are coming into the shop and bouncing.
“I can assure them that the truck is being loaded at the milling plant and by 14 hours mealie meal will be on the shelves,” he said.
However, a check at Maramba as well as Dambwa Central and Ellain Brittel markets revealed that they all had adequate stocks of the commodity.
A 25kg bag of National milling and Choma milling breakfast mealie meal were selling at K80 and 25kg roller meal selling at K62 respectively.
And Collins Mubiana, a taxi driver operating from Shoprite town centre, claimed that the smuggling of mealie meal into Zimbabwe had created an artificial shortage in most major outlets of Livingstone town.
Mr Mubiana called on the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) and the Ministry of Agriculture to help curb the smuggling of mealie meal into neighbouring countries.
“We are having problems with Zimbabweans traders who have been flocking into Shoprite on daily basis, buying more than 20 bags per person and this has created the artificial shortage in this shop.
“It is sad that immediately a truck loaded with mealie meal is offloaded, it only takes about an hour and the shelves will be empty again.
“Those in relevant authorities should help us control the smuggling of mealie meal into Zimbabwe because very soon the price of mealie meal in Livingstone will go high because of demand in our neighbouring countries,” Mr Mubiana said.
Let us exclude the issue of smuggling because Zimbabwe,Malawi and Congo DR have been trading with Zambia for a long time.
Let us know the real problem as we just rush to useless conclusion .We had bumper harvest and why should meal meal run out so early?
Zambians please learn to eat other foods. Why nshima always. besides doctors have said too much of nshima is linked to type 2 diabetes. A lot of us Zambians who drive don’t exercise as a result there is a rise in type 2 diabetes in Zed. Nshima is a carbohydrate food and if you don’t exercise you accumulate a lot of sugar in your system. We used to walk a lot but now every jim and jack has a car and type 2 diabetes has shoot up.
I advise that we eat alternative food. Yesterday I had 3 pieces of sweet potato with mince meat and cabbage. It was very nice. We have prenty of food in Zambia that can replace nshima. So how come I manage to stay in Australia without Nshima for weeks yet I have mealie Meal? I eat alternative foods. and to tell you I don’t not eat out. I eat rice sometimes too…
come on!!! leave the small smugglers alone!!! Lubinda and Lungu are smuggling and exporting huge stucks of maize out of Zambia claiming that we have more than enough
too and not everyday maybe once a week.
Ati ifintu ni Lungu – mealie meal shortages
This is a non-story. LT, there’s no indication of any mealie-meal shortage in your story. You fcukin’ wasted my time!
It is global, so the incompetent and clueless govt under Edgar will say. I recall vividly that HH had advised them not export maize..but they went ahead. The same people whose trucks exported maize at $200/ton will be the same one to import at $500/ton. Whether Zambians are dying of hunger or not either way some corrupt elements will make money. Surely how can such mediocrity be given a 5 year mandate?
Yes it is true that the artificial deficit of maize-meal in Livingstone is caused by the smuggling of the commodity into Zimbabwe. And I clearly remember those days when Zimbabwe was economically more powerful than Zambia how the Zimbabweans looked at us like dogs and laughing at us and at our fallen currency. These Zimbabweans don’t appreciate the good things that Zambia has done for them to better their lives over the years. When a Zambian does something wrong in Zimbabwe, he is killed like a dog. Up to now Zimbabweans are in denial that our country is performing much better than theirs, both economically and politically. Only people with a Zambian ID should be allowed to buy maize-meal in those trading outlets in Livingstone.
UNIP days are back.
Edgar Lungu
1. 800% increase in external debt ceiling from K20 billion in 2011 to K160 billion in 2016
2. 131% increase in domestic debt ceiling from K13 billion to K30 billion
3. 433% increase in external debt from $1.2billion in 2011 to $6.4 billion in 2016
4. 134% depreciation in the value of the kwacha from K4.86 in 2011 to K11.40 in 2016
5. 247% increase in inflation from 6.6% in,2012 to 22.9% in January, 2016
6. 135% increase in fiscal deficit above budget from K8.5 billion to K20 billion in 2015
7. 147% increase in trade deficit from $383.4million in 2014 to $945.8million in 2015
8. 130% increase in average bank lending interest rates from 12.15% in 2012 to 30% in 2016
9. 157% increase of in the staple food – mealie meal from average of K37 in 2011 to about K95 in 2016
10…
The Engineer, the percentages you have cited are an indication of a failing govt, that is how much lack of vision can cost a nation. Voters think twice, for the next five years will heavily depend on making the right choice. Numbers do not lie.
@House Fly is correct. Mishima should not be eaten day in day out. There has to be a variety. Even poor people can have different foods.
Since it was Women’s Day yesterday, may I point out that YAMS which we can grow is a Super Food for Women especially in menopause. It’s is a Complex Carbohydrate and far better than Nshima for your health and weight maintenance. It us beneficial for Hormone balance. Even here, it’s moe being included in Health Food vitamins. It’s eaten widely in USA. STOP THE SILLINESS.our National diet MUST evolve for Future.
More of a logistic issue on the part of the retailers than an actual shortage on the grand scale. No news here.
and not everyday maybe once a week.
You know you have a dictator in state house when mealie meal, Zambia’s main staple suddenly becomes more rare than precious stones. Very soon Lungu will come out and ask Zambians to tighten their belts as a necessary measure to strangle the hunger pains. That’s what KK used to advise in the face of excruciating poverty.
Poor planning for sure. smuggling has been there and it will be there. Just grow enough food we have an opportunity. Sesheke, Namibia and Botswana too depend on us. We have resources, water, land and the labour, we have ourselves to blame.
Shame!!
@suntwe wa suntwe! Kwena uli suntwe ica cine. Your level of thinking buta is very low. How do you blot out that LT didn’t indicate the shortage of the comodity, whilest thats the issue LT brought it as in news! How dare are you nigga must be one these same ch’p lunatic products from the usual open institutions out their. Learn not to wash your dirt linen in public nigga. Keep your stupidity to you & your damn hungry family who have kept on fist shouting ‘ifintu ni ponyo ponyo’. Get out & brace yoselves & do the right thing as we will be voting you fakaz. Viva HH & l rest my case. Thank you every mighty Zedians advocating change for a betterment of mother Zambia.
Pf for you!
ThIs is just the beginning. Come October 2016 you will be eating yellow nishima. Lungu has sold maize to the neighhours and the crop this year is bad. Viva pf *****s.
suntwe a reknown upnd devout being insulted by another ‘men in black’ hh fanatical. isn’t that ironical? in all fairness suntwe is right. no news here
WE ITS UPND TACKICS IN SOLWEZI SHOPS OWNED BY THERE CADRES IS STOCK PILING AND INCREASED PRICES TO K120 AND IN THE NIGHT TAKE TO CONGO.
GOVT ARREST THESE CHAPS AND CONSFECT VIHECLES
The high demand of mealie meal by our neighbouring countries must be welcomed and exploited to the fullest. Zambia has a good climatic condition to support the growing of maize. This is a great opportunity for Zambia to boost our foreign exchange. Let’s export more of this commodity to our neighbors .Maize can replace copper with proper planning and management. Government must see this as an opportunity to encourage winter maize.
If you ban exportation, people will start smuggling and the country will lose more.
I suggest to government to arrange for resources and channeled to growing winter maize so that we size this opportunity.
Excellent Thinking. Problem solving skills showing a clear understanding of Zambia’s predicament. We need foreign currency. What our gov’t are doing in this time is Fire Fighting difficult circumstances.
Read between the lines people! Hh and gbm are mopping up the grain on the local market through exports using Mmembe’s trucks, hoping for commodity shortages, spike in price and consumer discontent! It’s easy to see such antics therefore Ba given Lubinda tighten up the borders!
Honestly Zambians, this us very dull. How can a shortage of maize meal be so dramatic. There is plenty of alternatives and this story is just boring being repeated over and over.
When I am in Lusaka I am shooting a video which I will ask LT to Post. I am going to challenge these mentalities. I have a project proving access to instant food production which will shock Zambians out of their silliness. LT hope you are up for that challenge, I will contact you soon.
@House Fly is correct. Nshima should not be eaten day in day out. There has to be a variety. Even poor people can have different foods.
Since it was Women’s Day yesterday, may I point out that YAMS which we can grow easily, is a Super Food for Women especially in menopause. It’s is a Complex Carbohydrate and far better than Nshima for your health and weight maintenance. It is beneficial for Hormonal balance. Even here, it’s now being included in Health Food vitamins. It’s eaten widely in USA. STOP THE SILLINESS.our National diet MUST evolve for Future Generation.
Am a Zimbabwean, and to tell you the truth, i haven’t seen any Zambian mealie meal on our shelves here. Zimbabwe is importing maize from Ukraine amd Argentina. Maybe areas along the border with Zambia, i think thats where maize is smuggled.
@ Truth, when i was growing up some years back, when our economy was doing well b4 we took farms from white farmers, we used to hear people saying that, when a Zambian wanted to buy a sweet, he/she would go into a supermarket with a wheel barrow full of Zambian kwacha coins. We used to laugh whenever we hear of these stories. NOW, some yrs later, Zimbabwe is experiencing the same problems. Our currency used to trade into billions and trillions against a dollar. We decided to stop using our currency and NOW we are using US Dollars. Thats when the…