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Mealie-Meal Prices To Drop
THE Food Reserve Agency (FRA) has availed maize to millers that have run out of stocks of the grain. This is in a bid to stabilise the price of mealie-meal.
The programme will run up to April 30, next year, and will be extended for a period of two months for milling companies that will wish to continue.
Minister of Agriculture Given Lubinda told Parliament in a ministerial statement yesterday that Government, through FRA, will enter into legally binding but voluntary contracts with some private millers and avail them maize grain at K85 per 50kg bag instead of K120 as sold by the private sector.
The minister said this measure will see a 25kg bag of breakfast mealie-meal sold at less than K70 while roller meal will be pegged at less than K55.
“President Lungu has acted to serve the interest of the nation. This move will stabilise the prices of mealie-meal,” he said.
Mr Lubinda said Government has decided to get involved in the milling business because the private sector has run out of maize grain.
“Government is concerned with high prices of mealie-meal and other commodities.
“The private sector is expected to take the lead in maize marketing but they have not stocked enough maize grain as most of them have run out of stock,” Mr Lubinda said.
He said the role of FRA is not to buy maize in large quantities, but to merely stock strategic reserves.
FRA has 930,000 metric tonnes in its reserves.
Mr Lubinda said had the millers bought enough quantities of maize, mealie-meal prices would not have risen.
“It is surprising that millers wait for FRA to supply maize. Poor management of the maize stock by some millers has led us to where we are. Millers must take full responsibility of maize. FRA is not a warehouse for millers,” he said.
And Mr Lubinda said an additional 100 solar- powered milling plants will be operational by January next year and this will help reduce the price of mealie-meal.
The Zambia Cooperative Federation (ZCF) and Zambia National Service (ZNS) will run the milling plants.
Mr Lubinda said the involvement of Government in the milling business is not an introduction of price controls.
He was responding to a question by Choma member of Parliament (MP) Cornelius Mweetwa (UPND).
Mbala MP Mwalimu Simfukwe (MMD) commended Government for the initiative of availing maize to the private sector.
Mr Simfukwe said all progressive governments world over protect their citizens from manipulation by the private sector.
“I wish to commend Government for this initiative. Government must not allow an invisible hand of market forces to arm-twist it,” Mr Simfukwe said.
Posted by Editor
on November 13, 2015. Filed under LATEST NEWS.
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mike angoni
November 13, 2015 at 7:07 am
good move
Onyx power @vampiros
November 13, 2015 at 9:45 am
History. Why reporting it now batunfweko.
KOPALA FACTS
November 13, 2015 at 7:31 am
Most of the millers will not buy these maize from FRA,they have enough in their storages.All they want is to increase the prices due to loadsheding,increase in fuel prices,high ZRA tax etc.2016 kuyabebele!!!
Mr Its Global Kambwili.
November 13, 2015 at 8:16 am
Its global bane for the incompetent governments to be cheating its population on the reduction of Mellie meal.Its not unique to Zambia only, even in other countries failed regimes do cheat people that mealie meal has been reduced by 50% wen in fact not. Its global. Yes Edgar Lungu cheated Zambians that mealie meal in Kasama was selling at K45 when infact not, but rather K100. Now, are u telling me that Edgar Lungu is the only president who likes telling lies in the world? No friends, be realistic, this is global. Some presidents in the world also do tell lies like my president Edgar. Its Global Baneeee.
BY: HONOURABLE CHISHIMBA GLOBAL KAMBWILI
AMASHOKO KOPALA
November 13, 2015 at 8:39 am
BUFI TATA WE BUFI WACHILA …..
New Educated Zambia©❤√
November 13, 2015 at 8:42 am
A hungry man is am angry man. Them belly full but we hungry. The pf dem lie to the people all the time but you can’t lie to all the people all the time
mate
November 13, 2015 at 9:01 am
NEZ you ………
New Educated Zambia©❤√
November 13, 2015 at 9:04 am
There is a lot of truth in music
kakolwe
November 13, 2015 at 10:10 am
Careful there!!
There is music that goes like:
“……mubemba ngu satani….”
ORO ati
“……Satana takatekepo ichalo……”
Any truth in those two pieces of music?
Mula
November 13, 2015 at 10:10 am
The Move Is Good, But Can Pf Explain How They Are Going To Run These Plants In This Bad Economy When They Bought 50kg Bag Of Maize At K75, Taking Into Account Transportation To And From, Wages To Those Who Will Be Workers, Maintanance Costs Etc To Garrantee A 25kg Bag Of Ubwali At K45? This Sale Price Building Castles In The Sky. Improve The Economy First. Then Your Price Will Make Sense. Please Register As A Voter And Vote For Upnd Come 2016. Change Is A Must.
kanchine
November 13, 2015 at 10:29 am
I knew that upnd will still politicise this move as well, thats why upnd have nothing to offer but just to make a name that they once ruled that so.
Lamba boy
November 13, 2015 at 10:29 am
@ Mula, we need to know wat we er changing to? we may change from worse to very worse! pliz provide solutions even in opposition, surely u can du something i bet so! if u er keeping da answers en solutions to ur self that indicates how grid u er en not want Zambia to grow unless u er leaders or u may not even have any at all???
jst concerned
SPEAR NGOZI
November 13, 2015 at 11:12 am
@ Lamba Boy,go to HH ZAMBIA.COM and read for yourself the solution HH sugest to each and every challenge zambia is facing.
Judge Joe Bidden
November 13, 2015 at 11:17 am
Umwana angala ku bwali temwana iyoo! PF stop messing around with people’s lives enough is enough.
timmy
November 13, 2015 at 12:24 pm
Poseniko amano ba maambala.
peter
November 13, 2015 at 12:41 pm
Very disappointing with this upnd thing always sounding bostiful as though they have solutions that can benefit the nation ,they are always happy to talk about bad happenings in the country marketing zambia in a bad picture wina aza lila 2016 .
Siluwe
November 13, 2015 at 12:57 pm
Cheap mealie meal??? Wait for next year when hunger will be in every house hold.
CHICCO
November 13, 2015 at 1:15 pm
Knowing the UPND from Adam coupled by its modus-operandi, one would’nt think or encourage a right thinking person to vote for them or just think of them as a better alternative to the current leadership. Should, God forbid, they form government it’ll be like jumping from the frying pan into the fire.. their excuses as to why they couldn’t tick in Govt. ‘ll always be ending at; PF did that and this..they borrowed too much.., give as enough time or a fresh mandate for the economy to transform. they’ll never stop being ‘cry babies’.
ka junta
November 13, 2015 at 1:19 pm
koma some pipo r desperate to go to plot1, anything that is posted then na ma politics yafunika chabe yalipo….u cant change fate, come 2016 mukali kulila ati “BANDIBIDA MAVOTEEEE”
muyunda
November 13, 2015 at 1:30 pm
HE lungu were is the problem? Things will reach a level where you cant control them. you have pipo within your govt who arw working with opposition. look at NRC and voter registration. why are solar milling delaying?
pizzo
November 13, 2015 at 1:35 pm
others ar weeping others ar enjoying…its non of us who started the mess but most of us ar facing the whatever they call economic…sh** or so…your time is @hand
kasantana
November 13, 2015 at 2:05 pm
Desperate to contunue messing the country imwe ba PF. Nafilungula labeniko next year kuya bebele.
AMASHOKO KOPALA
November 13, 2015 at 9:18 pm
gud 9t ba zed…..
nega nega reloaded
November 13, 2015 at 10:03 pm
those milling plants are needed to cushion mealie meal prices.eg.dangonte coming has cushioned cement and he plans to reduce further.we shall give him chance to start sugar plant in luapula province.those are the rich people.
APONCHA WARRIOR
November 13, 2015 at 11:01 pm
Lungu nau Lungula.these pronouncements won’t win u 2016…kuyabeebela dot com dot 2016