DON’T POLITICISE MEALIE MEAL SHORTAGE – MWEETWA
MINISTER of Information and Media, Cornelius Mweetwa, has called on stakeholders to stop politicizing reports of mealie meal shortage in parts of the Country and the product’s apparent high price.
Mweetwa says attaching politics to the country’s staple food risks national security.
He was speaking on Wednesday afternoon when he accompanied Minister of Defense, Ambrose Lufuma, during an inspection of the Zambia National Service Mealie Meal Plant in Monze.
Mweetwa attributed the general rise in the cost of mealie meal to low production of maize grain in past seasons owing to farmers growing other crops like Soya beans as the price of maize at the time which ranged between K100 and K180 was not attractive.
He expressed hope in a favourable 2023/2024 farming season, noting that with government increasing the price of its maize purchase, famers have returned to growing the staple crop extensively.
Meanwhile, Minister of Defense, Ambrose Lufuma, acknowledged that the supply of the Eagle branded mealie meal on the market has helped stabilize the price of the commodity.
He noted plans by the Ministry to expand production of mealie meal in a bid to further reduce the price of the product by setting up more Milling Plants across the country.
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