The opposition UPND has expressed concern over shortages and continued hikes in the prices of commodities around the country.
UPND President Hakainde Hichilema said government has oftentimes been warned by various stakeholders to ensure that there is sufficient maize stokes in the country before exporting but that the advise was ignored.
Mr Hichilema said it is shocking to note the levels of incompetence and lack of compassion from the PF government in dealing with the shortages.
“The reported mealie meal shortages and continued hikes in the prices of the commodity in many parts of the country are deeply troubling. The PF Government was regularly warned from various quarters, including the UPND, on the need to ensure sufficient maize was stored before overseeing exports, but as usual chaos and confusion reigned and the people now suffering as a result are the Zambian people.
“The lack of competence and compassion from the PF Government in dealing with the shortage has been shocking from start to finish. Conflicting statements from State House and the Ministry of Agriculture on the availability of maize have exposed the unsuitability and lack of capability of those in office to undertake the duties for which they are paid much more handsomely than the average Zambian who works thankless hours just to be able to afford some breakfast meal, to say nothing of those for whom there are no jobs,” he said.
He said there is lack of coordination and planning in the way government is being run by the PF.
“While President Edgar Lungu and Vice President Inonge Wina have publicly stated the nation needs to import maize due to a shortage, in their usual “chipantepante” way of running government Minister of Agriculture Given Lubinda subsequently reassured us that there was enough maize stock in the country and hence no need to import the commodity. Some weeks later and we now have undeniable reports from many parts of the country that people are struggling to find the commodity and when available, the prices are way beyond what people can afford, especially given the depressed economic situation in the country.
“Surely a government that only oversees an increase in its size of cabinet and the number of trips abroad, while its citizens go hungry and have their very survival threatened, is the very lowest of the low. For those of us outside government we can keep warning and advising government but it would appear they have no capacity to coordinate and plan such things properly, let alone take any real action to remedy the situation,” he said
He added “In the UPND we had spotted this possibility by July last year when we started urging government to check national consumption levels against stores before continuing with exports. We also urged government to quickly provide support to those who can develop value-addition industries in the sector so that what we do export delivers greater value for us and creates jobs.”
Useless F0OL (HH) you have no message for the masses. Why not just shut your stinking mouth.
@Kudos, you must be one of the few beneficiaries of exporting maize at $200/ton and importing it for $500/to. Such foolishness can only be in visionless and clueless PF leadership. It is not a joke to have a bag of 25kg sell for K100 when people are being paid K700/month. 11 Aug, vote wisely
at Kudos, you are clearly one of the beneficiaries of exporting maize at $200/ton and importing it back at $500/to, the foolishness from this clueless and visionless PF leadership is astounding. How van people that earn K800/month afford to buy a 25kg bad at over K100? This mediocrity from PF has to end
Useless you ka mr kudos. VIVA HH 2016
Kacema with his usual under 5 politics…!
This man you have connived with millers to create artificial shortages and you think it will take you to state house. Condenm the same millers who are exporting the maize which government is subsidizing through FRA. The Country has enough stocks to feed the nation period.
You’re obviously well fed!
Wow, three !d!ots led by Mr. F@ggot Kudos being stup!d as always. No surprises here. You guys rushing to comment this early shows extreme desperation in your dull party which now even has a shortage of people applying for adoption since the ones with brains would never want anything to do with PF and the eager dunderheads do not have G12. Very nice. hahahaha.
Being outside our beloved country, I look forward to reading objective comments, especially when such serious statements are made regarding our staple food. It was on Lusaka Times that I read reports of mealie-meal shortages and hiked prices in Kasama, Mukushi and Livingstone. So I am quite lost at how HH is trying to distort/mislead, and being ‘stupid’ to retaliate LT headlines, which stories have been carried among other tabloids……are we as a country in a maize meal concern/crisis? And if so, what is the government’s strategic response? Thanks
bwana hh stop misleading Zambians no one is perfect under the sun. time owez tell, if the leadership is yours, time will tell and no one will bloke it. God’s time is the best.
Kudos is one of the beneficiaries of exporting maize at $200/ton and importing it bucket $500/ton. This foolishness from clueless and visionless PF leaders must stop. People are earning as low as K800/month.how will they afford a 25kg at over K100? This PF mediocrity must come to an end!
U FOOL, U THINK WE DONT KNOW THAT ITS U ARE BEHIND THE CREATED SHORTAGES.
YUOR AIM IS TO MAKE PEOPLE REACT AND RIOT OVER MEALIE MEAL PRICES. REALLY DO U LOVE VOTERS BCOZ DURING RIOTS PEOPLE CAN BE KILLED AND SEEMS U ENJOY BLOOD SHADE.
A SURVEY SHOWED UPND CADRES ARE THE ONES SMUGGLING MAIZE TO OTHER COUNTRIES.
#KOPALA PLEASE COOL DOWN HH CANT DO BETTER THAN LUNGU BY A BILLION FAR.
IF PEOPLE WANT TO PROVE TRY U WILL SEE KWACHA GOING TO K100 PER DOLLAR.
#THIS IS THE WORST COMPETITOR ZAMBIA HAS EVER HAD, TOO MANY PROMISES TO TONGAS,LUNDAS,KAONDE,LOZIS ETC ITS EVERYONE OTHERS HAVE BEEN TOLD WE SHALL CHASE THESE BEMBA MONKEYS U WILL OCCUPY THERE OFFICES,HOUSES,SHOPS ETC SHAME TO BEMBAS WHO SUPPORT THIS CHAP
Tauya / kudos your are both a serious case of of radicalisation to the extend of brsin damage, you hardly know your left from your right. What hh was addressing is a reality which the masses of our people are experiencing, but you seem to be living in exile not knowing what is happening in the country.your type even when people will starve to death you will still not believe.
Meant brain damage
@JKalusa: it’s amazing how you can confidently blame HH for Mealie Meal shortages and price hikes in most parts of the country. Your party is in power, just find solutions and provide affordable mealie meal instead of always blaming your failures on the opposition. For your lack of good judgement, you end up bringing the old fashioned tribalism. UPND has two VPs who are not Tonga, so where does this leave your tribalism rhetoric? Calm down.
Look at the headline on that paper. LAZ warns of supporting Lawlessness! But we have another article title here saying UND are ferrying Cadres across the country to support GBM. IN WHAT WE ASK…? Lawlessness! The courts are trying to solve an issue before it and they are rioting across the country. The gov’t needs to put a stop to this party.
Comment: you are the fool bwana,whether you hate the man or not at least try to be sober at all times.What HH has raised are issues that are in the public domain.Mealie meal is at 120 boss and worse people are fighting for it where it is relatively cheap in shoprite and the like.
HH is just stupid and desperate, Trying to do anything in order to win the election goes into a relationship with a very deadly group of people who aim is to ruining the nation, the cartel group of company, if you have anti Christ like fred who doesn’t want post news paper to be paying tax and do whatever he feels or wants. The cartel group of company is terrible, Secondly HH invites diplomatist promises them homo sexuality, gay right in exchange for support and promises to remove the declaration of Zambia as a Christian nation besides that also stop the building of the House of God.
on tuesday i went to buy a bag of m.meal a 25kg b/fast and i paid K100 to my suprise there was no change i live in mtendere/lusaka now my question is what more people in far fly areas how much are they buying same m.meal.VIVI HH,GBM & CB on 11/08/2016
I think politics of mealie meal shud be left to the last century. Let us encourage all zambians to produce their own food. We don’t need directives by this or that politician to fix a price for our staple food. There is a lot of land in our country. I pity those in diaspora you are the most cheated because back home we even have freedom to misinform
Mr. Kudos, if there is someone who is uselessnit is you and the pf company. That is whynupnd is growing, and pfbis dwidling. As a pulic leader you can not stand up and adress the zambia about tribalism, about tongas, opposition military training camps, issues that are unknown to the zambian people, we do not have a problem with tongas in zambia, neither is upnd tribal because we know that tribalism is a practice, but we see a party whose leadership reflects the broader spectrum of the zambian people.
Mr. Hh is adressing issues which affects the people, the nation needs to be given hope, but what arep you and pf talking about is vomitive to digest
Mr. Kudos, if there is someone who is uselessnit is you and the pf company. That is whynupnd is growing, and pfbis dwidling. As a pulic leader you can not stand up and adress the zambia about tribalism, about tongas, opposition military training camps, issues that are unknown to the zambian people, we do not have a problem with tongas in zambia, neither is upnd tribal because we know that tribalism is a practice, but we see a party whose leadership reflects the broader spectrum of the zambian people.
Mr. Hh is adressing issues which affects the people, the nation needs to be given hope, but what are you and pf adressing – irrelevancy!