SOME Millers in Livingstone have bemoaned the continued shortage of maize in the district despite government’s assurance that the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) had started off-loading maize on the market making the price of the staple food un-stable.
A check conducted by Times in major retail outlets yesterday revealed that the price of a 25 kilogram (kg) bag of breakfast meal was still stuck around K65 and above from the previous average price of K55 last year.
At Spar Livingstone, the outlet was selling a 25kg bag of breakfast meal at K65and K51 for roller meal.
At Dambwa Central Market, some outlets were selling a 25 kg bag of breakfast meal at K66 and above.
Shoprite Town Centre outlet in the tourist capital was selling a 25 kg bag of breakfast meal at K64.99 although the outlet did not have the commodity by press time.
Speaking in an interview in Livingstone, Mwasimu Milling director Mukuwe Imbwela said his firm stopped producing the mealie meal because the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) had not yet started off-loading maize on the market.
“ We are just getting it from the media that FRA has started off-loading maize on the market, but the actual fact is that they have not yet completed the paper work in Lusaka,” said Mr Imbwela.
And National Milling Livingstone manager when contacted for comment refused to give any interview with the reporter and threatened to call security.
Recently, some millers attributed the hikes in the price of the commodity to the shortage of maize on the market.
But the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) indicated that it had offloaded more than 30,000 tonnes of maize on the market to mitigate the shortage of mealie-meal.
Agriculture and Livestock Minister Bob Sichinga said the Government was not going to implore other price control measures for mealie meal other than the one taken to increase supply of the stable food.
Sorghum, millet, cassava?
What would happen if each region kept most of the food it produced and sold only the excess to other regions? Which regions would starve?
The End of the Maize Era!
Let’s try to diversify.
Agriculture is not equal to Maize!
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