There was confusion at Kitwe’s Mpongwe milling retail outlet yesterday as scores of traders and consumers struggled to buy mealie meal.
Some consumers had travelled from as far as Kalulushi and surrounding areas in the district and spent the whole day queuing for the commodity with others failing to buy a single bag of mealie meal.
The shortage of mealie meal has forced some traders to sell a 25 kilogramme of the commodity to about K75,000.
Mpongwe milling company in the second class trading area along Langashe street is supposed to sell mealie meal to consumers but retailers thronged the out let buying the commodity in bulk.
Mark Corporation director Mark Chisanga said that it was difficult to buy the commodity as some unscrupulous dealers were buying as much as 100 bags.
Mr Chisanga, who operates his business in Kitwe West, said that the sales people at Mpongwe milling have allowed consumers and traders to buy less than ten bags but some unscrupulous people were managing to buy as much as 100 bags.
“Before the shortage we would buy about 100 bags but the situation is now different. The shortage has made the price of mealie meal to skyrocket. I bought a bag from one milling company at K60,000 and sold it at K75,000. The shortage has persisted for the past two weeks now,”
Mr Chisanga said A resident of Kalulushi, Mercy Chansa said she arrived at Mpongwe milling around 7 am but managed to buy a bag of the commodity.
Mrs Chansa charged that there was corruption in the way the commodity was being sold to traders as most of the mealie meal has already been bought in advance even before being transported from the milling plant.
“The mealie meal is being bought through the cellular phone by people and most of it is already bought with some buying over 100 bags when the majority of the people are struggling to buy a single bag,” Mrs Chansa said.
A trader at Nakadoli market, Maria Kamboyi reported at 5 am and claimed that hundreds of bags of the commodity finished while she was still in the queue.
“A bag of 25 kg mealie meal is being sold at K48,000 and I am selling it at K55,000 at Nakadoli market,” Ms Kamboyi said.
A notice at the entrance of Mpongwe milling sales office was pasted and read that each customer was allowed to buy three bags while retailers are advised to buy the commodity in bulk from the milling plant.
[pullquote]Kitwe District Commissioner Elias Kamanga has attributed the shortage of mealie meal in Kitwe to rampant smuggling of the commodity to the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) through Kasumbalesa border post[/pullquote]
The Zambia National Farmers’ Union (ZNFU) president Jervis Zimba says it is monitoring the shortage of mealie meal in some parts of Kitwe.
Meanwhile, Kitwe District Commissioner Elias Kamanga has attributed the shortage of mealie meal in Kitwe to rampant smuggling of the commodity to the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) through Kasumbalesa border post.
The last time we had this sort of sad situation was before 1992 – 20 years ago! Can someone explain what is happening to Zambia? This government has not only failed to deliver any produce this year, they have also squandered the reserve maize that Rupiah Banda left in silos at FRA. What kind of people are these in government who can’t even feel ashamed that they are running down things!
Pf at work, let CB pipo enjoying the benft of PF gvnt
This is a shortage created by Sata and his stupid bush or wild policies.He runs the country like an inexperienced village chief with everything intended for political gain.The notion of pragmatism or collateral damage thru his uncoordinated political gimmicks does not arise for his uneducated village mind.
Kekekekekekeke copperbelt was overzelous during the run up to the campaigns.Too good for them
Best thing to have happened to them for sure!!!
An waiting to hear a one Pathetic failure spokesman attribute this to the millers or fra or opposition or whatever nonsense jumps first in his mind
Wait no longer. The lusaka PF have attributed it to Millers working with the opposition for political gain. This was at this morning’s radio pheonix news
I am very happy as you bunch of monkeys voted the biggest kolwe in power now you will all have to cry and hope that his hydraulic pump stops as soon as possible!!!!
Mugaiwa is better 4 ur healthy! Mulelima mwebanthu!
These are the positive indicators demon Saasa is talking about. There is no shortage of mealiemeal. You are just bitter because Sata is now a god.
According to this dc, smuggling started last week? That’s a very cheap reason because what has been smuggled all along is a tiny fraction of the cb consumption as a whole.
Natuselako balebomba
#1 dont say things you dont know about in 2002 &2008 there was shortage of m/meal in c/belt.
meaning
Are we competing on who knows how many past shortages, or are we discussing problems facing Zambia today? It is so typical of you PF dunderheads, you are so dull that you don’t even know you are dull!
Owu Mulola Wendi? you have crack my ribs….hahahahaha. These PF nincompoops are mentally challenged they cant think
is this one of the economic indicators we are being told of??
imwe mwebwa mwe…Try someting new like rice, potatoes, fish and beans and more!! not ubwali lyonse
Smuggling mealie meal while failing to pay farmers while agitating for bye elections.
What type of economic sanity equation is that ?
Twaselako bombeni
please govt do something,we voted for you prove to the nation that you can deliver.
It only shows the supply-demand side of things. If DRC is able to buy at K100,000 cash per bag that is likely the current true value of the 25kg. So dont worry about smugglers as long as they are able to brig back the kwacha in Zambia especially with the rebasing exercise coming next month. Congolese dont want to be stuck with the Kwacha. I see inflation…hyper food price inflation.
we want m/meal not bye election.
@djsmuzzi,who r u reffering to as dogs,mind your language and if u have nothing to say its better to shut up.
#1 you are misleading,there was no silo with maize, infact the FRA had over sold and under delivered and still owes customers up to this day. The Govt is trying to address the uneven distribution of mealie-meal,yes there is a minor shortage,THEY HAVE HALT MAIZE EXPORTS AND CONSIDERING STOPPING MEAL EXPORT ALSO , bloggers offer solutions not cheap PHD.millers still given subsidized maize to keep the price low,soon the situation will normalize.
Abena, where do you get your facts from? Why do we want to lie to each other when FRA is just nearby in light industrial area here in Lusaka and you can just go there and get the facts. Do some research before you comment. If you live abroad, lift a phone and call FRA – they will tell you the truth. The majority of farmers from last year were paid last year. The few farmers from last year who are not yet paid is because PF stopped all payments for no reason at all when it took over power in September. However, most of the farmers complaining about payments and delivery of farming inputs are from this last season since PF took over. Do your bloody research instead of just yap-yapping like a kitten.
We have more than enough maize in Zambia and one wonders why this shortage? What is going on with millers? I can smell a very big rat here, its either the millers are conniving with some scrupulous people so that the name of Government is tainted or they are smuggling the commodity to DRC. This is the time government should decisively act so that these evil plots are brought to naughty. Why causing an artificial shortage?? This is being inhuman.
Peace and Prosperity to Mother Zambia.
#6 & 13 Its fellows like you that are not helpful to the nation,please at least mind your language this site has been improving with alot of constructive views and less of retrogresive comments such as yours,bloggers lets be positive…Thanks jane.
SELENI TUBOMBEKO.if you want murder yourself,PF is in government.
Nigga look @ you, you are opening your mouth anyhow without substance. Chaps like you are a disgrace & disappointment to this country. We dont give a shiiiiiiiiiiiiiit about who is in government we want to move forward development wise, not this bulshiiiiiit your PF is giving us.. Learn to use your brain than reflexes nincompoop
You dull Elias kamanga, dont blame the congolese for the shortages. In fact, you should be gratefull that our maize has a market outside Zambia.
ok iliko bad
Man of Action at Work! Pamaka Pamak Pamaka Pamaka Pamaka Pamaka Pamaka Pamaka
A good and intelligent parent exports all his maize stocks to Kenya,DR Congo and Angola.He gives his wife K1.5 Billion and himself K1.4 Billion then site and relax watching his people queuing and fighting for a bag of mealie meal.He is happy and proud to see how his people suffering just to buy a 25kg bag of ubunga.Man of Action Pa Bwato More to come watch the space and speed things are happening in 90 days.
This is the only country in the world where patriotism is thrown to the wind. You have Politicians like Sir-Kwiba who teams up with Foreign Mecenaries Like Rotardam to attack a sitting legitimate Government and you have unscrupulus Millers and their cronies supplying DRC instead of the General public. I would move a motion for the President to envoke his authority and Nationalise all milling companies guilty of this crime against the Zambian community. Lets put politics aside and make ambia a better place.
You are talking nonsense. What you are recommending is a political decision, how then do you want to turn around and say let’s put politics aside? Think before you blog. Please if you love Sata that much let him come and nationalise your home. Your vision is an outdated one and better accept that we are in a democractic era where people have the right to work with whoever they feel like and love whoever they feel like. If you don’t like it, try another country. In Zambia we will not tolerate dictatorship. You are talking about partriotism, who defines what that words means in practice? Certainly not you, with your current level of education – judging from your level of thinking.
Use that part of your brain called reasoning, there has always been exports to drc, why is there shortages?any u weren’t an arrogant pf cadre u would have investigated and that there has been a lot corruption in awarding of maize supplying to contracts who are all being changed following the change of govt. the same is happening with the fertilizer distribution hence the delays in supply.
empty chibekete
Tighten your belts and brace for the worst. Life is generally tough, but its even tougher if you are stupid, and vote for retards as national leaders.
@27. Kunta Kinte. Spare us your nonsense! You and your Sata should just get on your leaky cannoe and paddle away! You’re the typical scroundel who always finds refuge in patriotism when your incompetence shows itself. Nationalize milling companies? Kaunda did that in 1986 and it did not solve anything. He was finally booted out in 1991 on a wave of a multiparty campaign that arose of mealie meal riots of June 1990. Your beloved PF was Stu.pid to order the export of 1 million tonnes of maize. Equally Stu.pid in not paying farmers for last season’s crop. Sata is simply incompetent!
Hear, hear.
Buy potatoes or pasta. Daily nshima why? Think outside the box people.
My thanks goes to former president Rupiah Banda and his government, he ruled this country three and people were insulting him while had enough mealie meal at their homes. Ba mudala mwalibomba kwena tuletasha.
Facts.
in kasama shoperite yesterday around 17:00hrs there was a special announcement regarding mealie meal using a public address system saying one one should buy two bags of mealie meal in order to give chance to people who haven’t bought. while the call boys (PF) members in lags were not allowed to buy even a pocket where are we heading to twacula mwandi. i think we need to pass a vote of no confidence against the PF government before lives are lost…….
#29 you seem to understand agro well, what alternative did the govt have on the maize stored for the last three seasons now sold as undergrade and occupying the same shades you want to store new harvest? they are making efforts to pay all farmers, yes they are late and its not good for the farmers,Lets keep it simple nationalizing wont solve the problem,MMD was pleasing but lost alot of money in maize deals by officials,FRA is now more careful hence the slow pace of payments.solutions please!!
Who cares? The price can rise to k200 000 if the pf wants.there is more money in the pockets of copperbelt people.
@33. Chinyama. Stop with the lies. There is no way Kenya, DRC, Zimbabwe etc would have imported a million tonnes of undergrade maize for human consumption. That is just a typical lie from a typical PF cadre! So in your warped PF thinking it is important for the FRA to be “careful” by delaying the payment of farmers because it is “beneficial?” Who exactly is benefitting from this when mealie meal prices have doubled? Who is benefiting from the PF’s elightened policies when we have a shortage of mealie meal? Is this what is meant with Sata’s so called heart for the people. No my dear we have an incompetent journey man in State House!
copperbelt enjoy what u voted for..
we need relief food to give to chingola and other primitive people in the copperbelt province who voted for chibwi no plan. yellow maize please for copperbelt and kasama central constituency napapata bachibwi uko ku maplan near woodlands police statidium nangu mainasoko clinic
yes a vote of no confidence can be a solution. ba RB bushe kuti mwasumina ukuwekweshapo gayapita vote of no confidence ai insala yabaukufwika. yafula twalacula walandawino
bringing PF down patali,but tamwakakwanishe. Your wildest wish is to see SATA & PF fail will not be archived. Sela tubombeko.
Given, l think u’ve stopped reasoning! Tell your man that we need results now! This party may be the shortest serving if you aint careful. We are watching u kaaa. Careful! Muzalila monga bboza!
#1 first question- what type of people are RB and his clique if they have a slogan like- Nga ulechula lobe?!!! second question- what FRA silos are you talking about!!!!? what PF did was sale the maize for it was rotting due to being packed in sub- standard bags……muletasha, imitima ukukokosa kwati bwali bwa mugaiwa!!!!
People are now regretting for voting RB out of power. During RB’s reign we were buying 25kg of mealie meal at 40.000 Kwacha. Sata has failed and people will cry until is booted out of power in 2016. RB you are a great man, people were insulting you meanwhile with plenty of food in their homes. PF guys Solve the problem instead of blaming Congolese.
Market forces at work, so the real price of mealie meal is between K75k and K100k. Effect this and shortages plus smuggling will immediately disappear..
No maize from south kabunga balunda.Next it will be zero ng’ombe from southern, western and central province no beef in C.B. Bakapopa saladi ku slimmer.
Market Forces you CNP’S. You closed Dollar Accounts thinking Kwacha would pick. How much is tke Kwacha now? This is economics not politics. Bring Back RB and Musokotwane. Not Sichinga and Crew