Friday, March 29, 2024

President Edgar Lungu warns Millers hoarding maize and creating an artificial shortage

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President Lungu

President Edgar Lungu has advised millers desist from hoarding maize and creating an artificial shortage of the commodity.

President Lungu says the government is aware of such schemes aimed at further increasing the price of mealie meal, which he says will fail because of various measures put in place such as taking stock of available maize.

He says government through the Zambia Statistics Agency is formerly known Central Statistics Office has conducted a survey on food security which Minister of Agriculture Michael Katambo will soon update the nation on.

Commissioning the new 20-million-dollar African Milling Maize plant in Lusaka today, President Lungu said the plant will increase maize processing hence noted the need to address load shedding challenges.

He advised other Milling plants to emulate African Milling which has also diversified into input distribution which makes it easier to mop up maize for production.

And President Lungu further advised Milling plants to put in place measures of buying maize from farmers and stop relying on the Food Reserve Agency -FRA- whose core business is buying maize for strategic reserves.

He also noted that the expansion in milling plants in the country is a clear indication of growth in diversification.

And, African Milling says the commissioning of the milling expansion plant is a wave of hope to Zambians amidst increased mealie meal prices.

Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Michael Katambo called on farmers to position themselves and benefit from increased demand of maize owing to increased demand.

Mr. Katambo, however, noted that low productivity levels have affected farmers.

And, Lusaka Province Minister, Bowman Lusambo said his office is impressed with the increase in food processing plants opening up in the province.

He expressed optimism of mealie meal prices further reducing owing to an increase in the number of milling plants opening up coupled with an anticipated maize bumper harvest.

21 COMMENTS

    • I thought he should be in custody at Esther Lungu Police station by now…i told you guys this will just end up like the Wikileaks,Panama papers stories…Zambia the real Africa

    • Already Bandit President Lungu trying hard to deflect the Mukula criminal case….expect more deflections in the coming few days and the Mukula case will be thrown in the dustbin of history…bandit President Lungu will still be stealing

    • HAZALUZA HAGAIN has been behind the shortages. When he goes to the MUSEUM he will NEVER do it HAGAIN. Let’s develop this thing Mr. President! The BOY is UNELECTABLE!

    • Millers are crooks, we have been saying this for years, the govt should stop giving millers so much power. They the millers would be happy to see farmers prevented from exporting maize to Congo when the marketing season begins because it’s the same greedy millers who have monopolised that export trade for decades making hundreds of millions of dollars which they externalize. As a nation we need to empower Zambians to export maize and earn mother Zambia forex which will be spent right here in the country. Enough of these crooked millers!

  1. Scatter teeth, a failed president, a useless leader and a ka waorst president on earth, I lost respect for this mother f*cker long ago, what an ido1t we have in plot one…. dull as they come, the chap is just a thieving c*nt

    • Boss, can we please have respect for the President, like you and many Zambians we do not like him for the misery he has caused Zambians. His time of reckoning will come for him and many of his thieving Ministers and it will be very harsh, but in the mean time let us avoid insulting him. He is still out President.

    • I have just talked to Prof. NO INSONI! He said he has written H-another letter to the UN using his University Letterhead. He has TRIBALISM in his blood and he thinks “ONLY A TONGA can be president of UPND and Zambia! He is a brother to SeJAni. Let’s develp this thing Mr. President! You are doing a great job! Even my foot is painful.

    • Don’t force me to respect a thief, if the man wanted respect he would have behaved like a human being and not like the animal that he does, therefore no respect from me, remember boss respect is earned, and to be honest do you think he has earned it?

  2. These guys need to explain the Mukula issue. It is disgusting to blame Climate Change, when we are losing Forest 27 and Mukula at an alarming rate.

    PF = Corruption = more poverty in our pockets.

  3. Awe boss, lets put the millers issue aside for now, lets discuss the mukula issue that you are involved with your daughter. Oga please dont dodge the issue.

  4. Mealie at K180 in Livingstone. PF looses in Lupososhi and starts saying it is just a small ward. These PF guys are serious jokers, so if it is small, why did you participate. Failures

  5. Does he understand how the Milling business works or he is trying to shift attention from the Mukula Family Saga? Does he understand the impact Loadshedding is having on production? Does he understand that if there is no power for 18 to 20 hours, the factories are idle and Maize remains in storage? Eskom is in stage 4 loadshedding. Is he aware how this impacts our power situation? We understand it’s getting hot in the kitchen and those who can’t stand the heat begin “ukusabaila.”
    The Kwacha is also becoming useless every hour and now almost K16 to a USD! Does he understand the impact a weak Kwacha is having on debt servicing and businesses?

  6. In lundazi a 50kg bag of maize is k210 and what has that to do with millers? My father you have failed in many ways you have no idea what you doing, and you stubbornness will embarrass you. Our economy is in trouble because you and your advisors don’t listen to anyone…

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