The UPND says the PF has taken the country more than 30 years backwards when people were queuing for commodities.
UPND Spokesperson Cornelius Mweetwa said people are now queuing up for mealie-meal and are being forced to buy one bag per person because of PF government’s failure to plan for eventualities.
Mr Mweetwa said despite advise from various stakeholders for government to ensure that the country has enough food stokes before exporting the PF ignored them and now the country is grappling with the shortage of the commodity.
He said it was only during the UNIP days that Zambians were forced to queue for commodities and that it did not make any economical sense for people to be forced to only buy one bag mealie-meal when they can manage more.
“We have been taken back to more than 30 years of UNIP days queuing for mealie-meal even now when go to shoprite and you have money we are being told you can only buy one bag yet we told the Minister of Hon Given Lubinda please can you announce the maize flow price so that it can influence market prices and for farmers to have an option to sale to government or the private buyers so that we can have household and national food security but they were busy saying we are monitoring moisture content now look at the moisture content which they are monitoring we are threatened with food security which is also a national security issue,” he said.
He added ” we are now being proud of impounding 30 trucks or trying to export maize to our neighbours when they are the ones who were telling as that now we want to promote the private sector to be able to export maize when you have no vision.”
The country has been facing mealie-meal shortages with some shops being directed to sale only one bag per individual.
On Monday Chingola residents accused government of not being strict with the people smuggling the commodity to the neighbouring DRC. The residents queued for hours at Pick n Pay Chingola were the commodity was available.
If you can’t say something good about somebody; just shut up.
y shut up wen things r wrong
its bachimbwi no plan kaili……………..Sata would say, PF MPs are the most useless one but he went ahead and appointed them ministers
BUFI, 100%. We are 300% much better off, except Mweetwa himself who wastes time politicking.
Even the PF govt admits thereis a problem with mealie meal. Now lubinda has stopped accusing UPND and is stating the actual reasons
We know where the problem is. Zambia is the only country with maize and all these countries are getting it from this country Congo DR, Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe. The govt is not exporting maize but those who want to rule and become rich. God is with us the problem will soon be over. Just like rains, copper and Kwacha.
Bamwitwa are you saying those infrastructure you are seeing in Choma is taking the country backward? we know that southern Province didn’t vote lungu even before he was born
Which economics is this by UPND. What is wrong with exporting maize to other countries to earn forex and balance the trade. You prefer Zambia to import everything and not to export commodities which are needed by other countries and which we are able to produce? Do you want to export copper to Malawi when they need maize. Devil’s way of offering rocks to Jesus instead of needed bread. Even if Lubinda is cheap in your opinion but not that of his voters do you expect him to stop smuggling? Please, direct that to Ministers of Commerce who have failed to come up with proper foreign trade policies and the Minister of Home Affairs who has allowed police road blocks and Immigration to man borders but can’t see mealie-meal being smuggled out. Please, encourage mor production of maize even for…
Please, encourage more production of maize even for export. Go to restaurants at all shopping malls in the country and see if you will find any one ordering shima except for chicken, chips, pizza, beggars and so forth. It is your duty to encourage citizens to start consuming other food staff like butter nut, cassava, millet, sorghum, potatoes which are plenty in the country and encourage export of maize which other countries do not have or have less. Countries like America produce maize mainly for export. Even if we produce marijuana as proposed by Peter Sinkamba or tobacco, do you want us to consume everything without exporting to more confused societies who need it?
SOME OF U PF CHAPS ARE EVEN FAILING TO BUY TISSUE FOR YOUR HOMES AND YOU CONTINUE SAYING PFYOTOTO. NEXT YOU WILL BE MOVING NAKED ATI OUR PARTY REGALIA.