The Zambia Consumer Association (ZACA) has called on the government to give incentives to millers in the country in order to cushion the current high cost of production which has led to the increase in the price of mealie meal.
ZACA Executive Secretary Juba Sakala has said that government should work on reducing import duty and come up with special tariffs on both electricity and water among others to help millers boost their businesses.
Mr. Sakala said that most millers are unable to borrow from banks due to high-interest rates, a situation which has made it difficult for them to get raw materials and has since called on the Ministry of Agriculture to call for a stakeholder meeting with millers and farmers to discuss the way forward.
Meanwhile, The Civil Society Scaling-Up Nutrition Alliance (CSO-SUN) has backed calls by stakeholders urging the government to temporarily stop the export of maize to neighboring countries.
CSO-SUN Country Director Mathews Mhuru said that the flash floods experienced in some parts of the country have adversely affected major maize producing districts across the country.
Mr. Mhuru said that the situation may negatively affect crop yields from the current farming season, hence the need to conduct an early crop forecast survey for the 2021/2022 farming season to determine how farmers are performing so that it can decide on whether to continue exporting maize or not.
Mr. Mhuru said that if the current situation is not addressed the cost of living for ordinary citizens will soon increase to unacceptable levels and force millions of people to remain in abject poverty.
Just waiting.
Government should also check on quality and package of these bags, some mealie meal bags are under weight, with consumer protective agencies fast asleep. I bought 30 Parmalat 200 mls long life from Shoprite waterfalls yesterday, they are all spoiled. This is important information I am passing on which management should quickly cross check this morning
The IMF currently controlling everything in this country will not agree with the incentives. HH lied to the people about the price of mealie meal, fuel, fertilizer among so many other lies.
Just buy your own maize and go to the local chigayo. Who needs those big millers? I don’t!
You can see now that this government has no clue to reality, all we are seeing is confusion, where is the clarity we were treated to during those campaigns.
IMF will never allow anything positive in the the Zambian economy, they make sure that any little progress is quickly destroyed.
Why do they need import duty reduced? For what…we have been down this road before where govts have given incentives to Millers only for them not reduce the price. How can they even fail to succeed when they are manufacturing the most popular commodity in the country…they can even export it.
Like I always say govt should encourage diversifying of our diet..we can not be over dependent on maize and millers always holding us to ransom.
kci – There you go again making ignorant statements like Bowman…how is IMF controlling everything? You expect to borrow without tightening your belt how are you going to pay back? Its no wonder you defaulted on a mere $42 mil EUROBOND coupon.
“urging the government to temporarily stop the export of maize to neighboring countries” – Secretary Juba Sakala.
You people do you really think? Let us support government on export of grain corn, and this can result in the growth of the commodity value chain. It is not only corn that can supply dietary calories but many other starches such as cassava, millet, sorghum, rice, irish- and sweet- potato, plantain, yam etc. Encourage dietary diversification @Tarino Orange. Reliance of corn as energy giving food in most of our ordinary households without understanding the impact of varietal differences on resistant starch contents can result in energy malnutrition. CSO-SUN you lack cadres of scholarly prowess to advise you. Stop misleading government.
@Tarino Orange, I did not borrow any money and I did not default on any Eurobond. The IMF conditions to give money to the government include removal of subsidies on Fuel, electricity which in turn has caused an increase the cost of production of mealie meal. What is ignorant here burrying you head in the while anyone with brains will know that prices of commodities will double by June this year and Kwacha is not at k5 has promised by a known crook.