Statement from the Hon. Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services and Chief Government Spokesperson on mealie meal prices
Government wishes to express great concern over the high price of mealie meal which is reported to have reached K150 for 25kg bag of breakfast and ZML120 for a 25kg bag of Roller meal in some cases.
This is a matter of grave concern to the Government and this morning, the Acting President, Mrs Inonge Mutukwa Wina summoned the Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Michael Katambo.
Government has resolved the following:
1. Government will not stand by and watch the staple food go out of reach of ordinary Zambians.
2. The Acting President has instructed the Minister of Agriculture to immediately arrest the price distortions in the market, for example the price of a 25kg bag of breakfast is selling at 150 in Sioma in Western province and similarly at 150 in Lusaka and the Copperbelt. This is a clear case of price distortion by unscrupulous retailers who wish to enjoy abnormal profits at the expense of ordinary Zambians. You would expect the price of mealie meal to be cheaper in Lusaka and the Copperblet because that is where milling plants are located.
The average selling price by millers to retailers is between ZMK115 to ZMK120 only, while for rollermeal the millers are selling to retailers at between ZMK80 to ZMK90.
Hon Katambo has been instructed to urgently meet major retail outlets to address the price distortions.
Government is also aware of price distortions in the maize buying market. While the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) buy-in price is ZMK110 per 50Kg of maize, the private sector price is as high as ZMK170 per 50kg bag of Maize. This too is clear distortion because historically the price difference between FRA and the private sector has never been more than ZMK10 per bag. However, this year the difference is as high as ZMK60.
Once again Hon. Katambo will today meet with manufacturers of livestock feed to arrest the price distortion in the maize buying market. Our information is that what is driving the high maize buying price in the private sector are the 3 major manufacturers of livestock feed who are procuring maize at exorbitant prices, to make stock feed cake for export, at the expense of ordinary Zambians.
3. Government has instructed the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission to render a report to Government on these price distortions within 24hrs.
4. The Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Katambo is expected to conclude these interventions by Government to stabilize the price of Mealie meal and make the staple food affordable to ordinary Zambians in the next few days.
The Government wishes to reassure the nation that while the country was impacted by drought and floods in some areas, the country is food secure and Government will do everything possible to ensure that it remains so and that no Zambian should die from hunger.
Hon. Dora Siliya, MP
Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services and Chief Government Spokesperson
22nd August, 2019
WHY WAIT FOR THE PRICE TO REACH 150 TO CALL THE MINISTER IN? ALSO WHY TELL HIM TO GO HAVE MEETINGS WITH COMPANIES JUST ASK HIM WHAT HIS WAITING FOR TO DO HIS JOB THEN KINDLY ASK HIM TO PUT HIS AFFAIRS IN ORDER AND FIRE HIM BECAUSE IT’S CLEAR HIS NOT SURE WHAT HIS JOB IS. MINISTERS LIKE THESE ARE THE REASON WHY OUR COUNTRY IS IN PROBLEMS.
Every time she is Acting-President as president, she do something good Zambians. I love her, she is my president.
But wait to the weekend when he is back, it’s back to crime scene in Forest 27.
I can’t see any resolution. All points from 1 – 4 are not resolutions but empty statements. An example of a resolution is where you say starting from midnight all miller’s should sell a bag of breakfast at K50 or else your licence will be cancelled. This a resolution. God help us.
A resolution is a firm decision to do or not to do something.
Only a fooooool can think that those pointers will bring down the price of your maize meal…really laughable indeed just wait its not even October!!
Free market economy.. forces of supply and demand.. it’s an opportunity for Farmers. Farmers don’t complain but encourage this.. so that we grow more next season
These PF mother fckers are so foolish and out rightly stupid! How do they expect one minister Katambo alone to perform some magic and reduce the price of mealie meal when they have failed failed collectively?
In effect they are blaming Katambo alone for the hunger when it is Lungu who has no vision and wisdom to overcome economic problems especially hunger!
Lungu should just get out of state house and give way to those who are capable of leading our country much better!
Governments that have serious leadership continuously run research programs on free market trends simultaneously with governing so as to have data on their fingertips for making informed decisions and when necessitated be convincing in arguments! Indeed why having waited till the prices got to where they are at? The private sector is apolitical it’s business and businesses have to survive through profits therefore the private sector follows the market trends! A politician can not just spring up with intervening instructions to millers! There are too many people in cities that are doling nothing and it is the same ones making the loudest noise on mealie meal why dont they go back to their villages and contribute to production than hanging around cities as consumer mi LLP
@ FuManchu please disregard ‘mi LLP’ has no meaning to it.
POOLFOOL leaders you have fail to Govern the country zambia, no wonder the head some years back, he said he have no vision for this beautiful country. Mr. tourist be mindful 2021 is just around the corner!!!
Comment it still won’t work out significantly. You blindly allowed exportation of maize when you knew very well that drought had been severe, why? His excellence even confirmed to the nation that there was enough stocks to last us up to next season. Offload at cheaper price so that miller’s can buy it at FRA rate if you have it in abundance.
How much is GBM milling selling?
Kaili Ba GBM you are PF, reduce price tumone.
@ Nostradamus
Your HH claims to be the second largest cattle owner in Zambia only second to Zambeef, has he ever reduced the price of beef which 80% of Zambians cant afford. Its only good when it suits you. Deeds are better than too many empty words. Beef is HH main business but how many Zambians can afford it? If you can honestly answer this one then I will rate you.
@Malinso you know that me & HH are competitors right? Even answering you is just to do you a favor with FREE wisdom.
A low thinking person like you and the other 45 PF on trip with Ba Edgar in India, don’t deserve advice. But here is one; Calculate using number 40 delegates, if that money was used on price control, the price of meal meal will drop to K50 for 6 months.
It’s just cheap political talk as usual.
Where did HH get the 250000 bags of mealie meal. He has caused all this nonsense arrest him for hoarding our chibundu.
What are the milling plants procured for ZNS and Correctional facilities?
I just smile at such rhetoric. It shows that people are not on top of things. A 50kg bag of maize here in the interior of mkushi is going for K260 how much will it cost in kitwe, markup and transport cost included?
HH is an opportunist, a chancer and a big snake, more dangerous than the one that cheated Eve and Adam in the garden of Eden. Have you ever heard HH or his UPND MPs commend PF Government on anything good they have been doing for mother Zambia? When disaster strikes, you see and hear HH holding conferences from his HQ (his house) condemning Government, when government scores high, he either says “its artificial”, “it wont last” or keeps very quiet, so what type of a person is he?
To date, all the two (x2) UPND vice presidents who have left UPND have not been replaced, what does that tell you about him? DICTATOR of highest degree.
“….Have you ever heard HH or his UPND MPs commend PF Government on anything good they have been doing for mother Zambia? …”
Thev done nothing good but loot , pillage and cause the highest debt crisis ever
Where does HH come in? You really like to blame him for all that goes wrong. We have enough food, no hunger except in some provinces so no need for help. The govt is in control; do not divert attention. Demand a govt led action, not the opposition
It’s market forces badala ,
just an indication of a shortage of maize which lungu first oked exports then changed then says we have enough stocks in reseve…….
We pray for good rains this season or there will be starvation…..
During the KK days Price Control and Mealie Meal subsidies was the answer to the High Prices of Mealie Meal but it Never worked. If u Price Control Maize and Mealie Meal then Black Market at high Prices will be the Order of the Day. History doesn’t repeat itself but it often rhymes. They failed to give incentives to farmers and now they have to pay the Price.
How do you expect the price to go down while fertilizer is too high
It will be extremely difficult to bring the prices down because market forces are at play. A business man is there to make a profit thats why it is called business. Therefore he takes advantage of any opportunity to make money. The problem is that people complain and at the same time melee meal is selling like hot cakes in shops. Simple principles of marketing stop buying and instead buy maize from food reserve and process it into maize meal simple. Food reserve should supply maize only to cooperatives with their installed solar powered hammer mills only. To these government can dictate what price maize meal should be sold. Food reserve should not sell their maize to the millers association of Zambia because the one who will benefit from this cheap maize is the retailer and not the…
D. M you are the only one who has impressed me with your 100% reasoning… I like your thinking
Ati we now have solar milling plants in all districts. The price of mealie meal will start dropping.
I just had my 90kg maize gayad at Fanyate millers for only K42. Why are you lazy bones crying about high prices of chibundu.The problem with hunger stricken Southern Province is that they concentrate much on animals, now am able to barter one animal for a 50kg of Maize bran
Tutwa has said people are eating Hungry lion meals and there is no poverty in Zambia .’Poverty ! what poverty?! Those are the words from Tutwa .Why is government taking action when people can eat hungry instead.This a government of fools .A government packed with thieves who joined politics to get rich .
Reduce the price of fertilize to k150 so that even a poor person will manage to buy simple. due the high price of fertilizer, people have resorted into ploughing maize just for consumption only. so if the price of input remains high, next harvest will be disastrous. Simple.
So government is not happy that private sector are supporting poor farmers by buying at 170 kwacha .
Are you guys so daft? Why HH, when there is nothing about him in the whole post? Why do you give him such free publicity? I f only UPND were smart, they could be using these same baseless attacks to show your ineptitude and lack of leadership that you allow the opposition leader to be the agenda setter
Hopeless government, the only thing they are serious about is degazzetting and allocating themselves gazetted forest land, proceeds of crime. I mean the bums “don’t even know” the owner of 48 houses in Lusaka and the case has died a natural death. And the so called investigative wings ACC etc are themselves more corrupt than their bosses.
LT, I hope you’ve finally blocked that Z.E.E.C riffraff guy. It’s a relief for me personally not to be reading his useless comments.
This is what you get for supporting PF. This minions have no clue and cant manage they have stolen from the poor gullible Zambian empty heads!
The increase has been inflicted by the rise in maize price from 75 to 110 of 50 kg bag while the subsided fertilizer remains low. Also reduced rain falls in some parts of Zambia.
Comment:M.D thats good thinking. government should construct more and more milling plants then FRA should start selling maize on a cheaper price to those cooperativea that will be running the milling plants or correctional service and ZNS should be highly funded to to grow the staple food and construct milling plants in all the provinces and make use of the prisoners, while giving them a skill, instead of channeling huge sums of loan monies to contructing roads in compounds were pipo dont even appreciate them.
If government doesnt wake up this year to steer up the agricultural sector then things will be hard for them. if things are this bad this tym of the year then wat will happen from October to November. government shud have projected this a long tym ago. The only bad thing about us Zambians we are reactive to situations not proactive.
There’s no winter maize anymore which the Great late Mwanawasa introduced? This mealie meal situation we are experiencing is simply telling us that maize is in short supply but government keeps assuring us that there’s enough maize in the country. The problem is farmers/and other suppliers are holding on to their stocks for reasons we do not know well. Government should sit down with them and find a solution. Whether there’s enough stocks or not a solution has to be found
HH m****** imwe alimicita ububi.Nelyashi ilishimukumine kulamulumbaula fye.Mwanya muleya mu 2021 ba kolwe
THIS R0TTEN ST1NK1NG P.F “PAYA FARMER PARTY” is Not concerned about its own citizens welfare BUT only lives for campaigning 24/7 hence Dirty sm3lly Kaponya’z like ka Dandy Crazy can get so excited on corrupt P.F proceeds, & have the nerve & audacity to insult suffering Zambians for their suffering, which is directly caused by ka Drug addicted Dandy Crazy’s commander of plunder Edgar Jona Chakolwa Kadansa Lungu!