The Millers Association of Zambia (MAZ) has said that the public should not panic as Zambia has enough maize to see the country through the next harvest season.
MAZ president Andrew Chintala said that the government is putting up measures to close the gap in the supply of the commodity, adding that the association is aware that some traders have taken advantage of the situation to exaggerate prices on the market.
Mr. Chintala said that there was need for traders to be patriotic and desist from price exaggeration.
Yesterday, the government ordered Millers that are under the tripartite agreement to flood the market with mealie-meal.
Agriculture Minister Michael Katambo said that the shortage of mealie-meal is uncalled for because all the millers on tripartite agreement with government through the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) have enough maize to last up to the next crop marketing season.
Mr. Katambo said that the government was not going to allow unscrupulous business people to create artificial mealie-meal shortages and come up with exorbitant prices so as to exploit consumers, adding that the mealie-meal retail price still stands at between K135 and K137 for a 25-kilogram bag of breakfast meal and that it is even printed on the bags.
Mr. Katambo said that the government will not hesitate to engage the security wings and the Local Government through the councils to apprehend those selling mealie-meal at higher prices than the recommended one which is printed on the bags.
Mr. Katambo said this during a conducted tour of selected millers in Lusaka in the company of Presidential Affairs Minister Freedom Sikazwe, Agriculture Permanent Secretary Songowayo Zyambo and other State House senior officials.
Blame game for policy failures in managing the economy! There is no proper guidance on anything thus all sectors are operating as they please! Interesting to note veiled authoritarian threats by government that wants to unleash security forces to police price controls! Is Zambia not a free market economy?
Soon they will point fingers at HH just wait from these guys.They can not handover power because very sweet said boman lusambo
Meanwhile smuggling has not been dealt with adequately.
Enough maize meal for Zambian citizens but not enough to feed DRC, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania.
Who is responsible for border security? He has gone to sleep.
Looks like ALL or almost ALL security forces in bordering towns are in a syndicate to get rich with one bag of mealie meal fetching as high as K400 to K500 across the borders.
Looks like Government would get tough for 24 to 48hours. After that, it’s business as usual. Seen this with my naked eyes.
And some clowns will blame the pf government. People need to be aware that the next few months may be tough especially with the economic impact of corona virus on the global economy. Let us not be small minded in always thinking every negative development is lungus fault. Take some responsibility for your lives for once. Your overdependence on government is what puts a burden on this economy .think what you can do for your country not what your country can do for you.kz
This is what happens when you mix Business with politics! You borrow failed E-voucher ideas which have failed in other countries and you think they will work in Zambia? You appoint Dora Siliya, a journalist, to run a ministry she has no expertise in? Are you surprised when things don’t work? Farmers don’t need handouts! Farming is supposed to be run as a business! Your friend KK was more successful with Agriculture because he developed special products for the farmer. We had Lima Bank where a Farmer could access low interest loans to finance their venture. They had Agriculture Extension Officers who had the commitment to help the farmer. Today, you have reduced many Farmers to beggars! You reap what you sow! Don’t forget that Mealie Meal is Political Gun Powder!
With a chipantepante Government full of corrupt, violent & visionless F00L’Z, what does one expect?
Now blaming corona virus for high mealie meal prices no more HH very soon they will blame HH for corona virus.
Guys, have you recently seen President Lungu’s front dental formula? He really looks like President Daniel Arap Moi’s son. Had he been a South African Nguni, he would without doubt belong to the iNgwenya clan (Crocodylus niloticus). Even being near him is in itself a risky hazard to life, if he pounces with those dental pangas in his mouth, it can occassion in death itself, kufwa bebele!
It’s grobo, it’s commodity prices , it’s climate change , it’s HH , it’s brenhurst , it’s steer 1 , it’s corona ,
Yayayaya……ba PF have found another convient scapegoat ……..corona.
BTW , oil prices currently $30 per barrel , any chance of some relief for zambians ???
Apart from being a visionless clown, Lungu’s other talent is appointing the most incompetent people in almost all government positions. All the Concourt judges are grossly unqualified to hold those positions and we still have deranged monkeys applauding the !d!iocy of this utterly inept government. 10Kg mealie meal is now at K100, stup!d a$$holes.
“Mumbi Phiri says HH is buying out mealiemeal all over to create an artificial shortage that turns Zambians against PF. Just wow, the kind of operations HH is said to be able to carry out. PF really believe in the man’s abilities. They should just adopt him as Presidential candidate (Laura Miti) .” When we call PF and its supporters stup!d, this is why we do so.
How many times have we heard this story before of blaming Millers and businessmen for govt’s incompetence…this is the reason why the dull Lungu and his Presidential dull initiative spent $200million of our tax money to import 2000 pointless Solar Hammermills from China…where are the fruits of that money? Nothing to show and they want to build more bigger milling plants. If you were serious you would have built one plant in Petuake and Choma via IDC with that money.
Thank you minister here in mutendere 25kg is K190 at a shop near kobil filling station between kobil and vera chiluba school
KZ said mealie meal shortages is because of corona virus
This MAZ president should be brave like his predecessor who used to call a spade a spade. Why cant you tell the truth and tell them FRA doesnt have enough maize and are rationing the commodity that’s why there are shortages instead of blaming the traders. Traders have no access to mealie meal right now as millers are restricting selling of the commodity to one bag per person. And millers are doing that because they don’t have enough maize from FRA. Are you afraid if you spoke the truth then the little allocation that you are getting from FRA for your killing plant will be stopped? Then you should not have taken up this role as MAZ president.
KZ. PF use epidemics and pandemics as excuses for their poor leadership and failure as govt. Global warming today, Corona virus tomorrow, oil prices the next day even when the prices are falling globally. PF is always a govt of excuses, reaction and not of action. Even the Corona virus you are pointing to, your friends in Ghana are setting aside $100m and yet in Zambia am seeing a figure of k97m ($6m) with govt funding k59m ($3.4m) and appealing for donors to fund the rest, yet you have been having money to fund useless by-elections. Misplaced priorities by PF indeed.
Pathetic indeed. If there is plenty of maize and we have a ‘free economy’ system, why are the prices high? The truth of the matter is that with this regime there has never ever been any constructive agricultural policies, if at all. If they were clever, we shouldn’t even have to be dependent on maize as a staple food. What kind of country relies only on one main food and politicizes it? In West Africa, as an example, people eat affordable yam, cassava, sweet potatoes, plantain, rice, bananas, maize, etc. If you harness these foods and have proper policies in a country with so much land, you would have these alternatives cheaply, including millet and sorghum,
Actually, the Corona virus WILL result in higher prices on all commodities anyway. Opposition should listen to what Hon. Nawakwi said recently. Calling on all opposition to work with the govt especially in the face of this crisis which needs ALL our attention.
STOP INCITING HATE AND DISORDER TO PROMOTE YOUR POOR CHANCES 2021. PREACH PEACE.