Chief Nyamphande of the Nsenga people in Petauke district has appealed to the government to address the mealie- meal shortage that has recently rocked the province.
Chief Nyamphande says it is disturbing to see people queuing up for the essential commodity when the country has recorded successive bumper harvests.
He said that he witnessed people almost looting a truck which had brought mealie-meal to Petauke district recently.
The chief raised the concern when eastern province permanent secretary Bert Mushala paid a courtesy call on him at his palace.
And Mr Mushala said government has put in place measures to ensure that the staple food is in constant supply to avoid shortages.
The permanent secretary disclosed that the government has also written to shop owners to allow consumers to buy only two bags of mealie-meal as a stop- gap measure to reduce smuggling.
He observed that the shortage is as a result of some unscrupulous people who are smuggling the commodity to Malawi.
And in a related development, Chief Mumbi of the Nsenga people of Petauke district has noted that his chiefdom will experience a low crop yield in the 2013/2014 farming season owing to the late delivery of fertilizer.
Chief Mumbi told the permanent secretary that apart from the late delivery of the commodity some civil servants were abusing and manipulating the system to disadvantage farmers.
He said there was need to transfer the named officers because they were counterproductive to the development of the country.
He also lamented the poor road network in his chiefdom which has become impassable because of the rains.
The chief also appealed to government to consider drilling more boreholes and build health centers as people are forced to walk long distances to access the facilities.
That’s the govt you guys voted for..Easterners let us down..see what this pf govt has done..where’s Mangani who cheated you..?
the government of dunderheads have no plan on how to deal with the shortage of mealie meal instead they have signed agreements for more exports which will worsen the situation
The price you pay for poor planning. You sale all your maize & now you complaining of the shortage. People have become so excited of selling their maize to FRA. Such that they remain with nothing to sustain them up to the next seasons harvest. Am ashamed the behavior or mind set of most Zambians. FRA has opened doors now for the sale of maize but people are buying in bulk for re-sale to other countries.
Its not just Mealie meal,even fuel now!
yaba seriously you people think this party will sort out the mealie meal problem? how? when there are still exporting it in your dreams that’s the only place they can fix the maize issue you have to have solution to fix a problem like that one why do you think the farmers haven’t been paid you really think its an accident? come on you cant be that dull theres no one in there capable of fixing the problem they created themselves, ask for help.
Its the government faulty you *****. how can these shortages were not there before the CNP came in?
All I read above is condemnation and insults, no solution. That is how low the caliber of the people contributing here is. If you have no solution, it helps to keep quite and let those with ideas work.
But what solution have you offered? lead by example!!! secondly who will listen to the solutions? The problem is that government only want to hear solutions such as introducing a ban on exporting Maize which I can assure you is an old fashioned way of governing. Here is an opportunity for exports and Zambia would be recognized as the largest Maize producer and exporter in Africa. This problem started last year and if the government was thinking like economists they would have quickly promoted winter maize and the maize shortage by now would have been long gone because the maize would have been ready for consumption. This problem was foreseen infact in 2011. The problem is that much energy is being put on political issues such as HH that, Mumba that???!!! honestly are we going to eat them?
EVEN ME AT HOME I KNOW THE SOLUTION. THE PF GOVT SUBSIDIZED CONSUMPTION AT THE EXPENSE OF PRODUCTION WITH INPUTS ARRIVING AT THE TIME OF HARVESTING. YOU CAUSE PRODUCTION TO EFFECT OUTPUT THEN DEMAND WILL CONTROL THE PRICE OF THE PRODUCE WITH OR WITHOUT GOVT.
@JESSIE, well said
Do shortages appear from nowhere or one can foresee them coming? where were the people responsible before the melie meal run out?
The most useless govt zambia has ever had. One term govt no plan
Things are not alright in Zambians! Zambians are suffering more than they did even before 1991!
It is very predictable & with no doubt that Dictator Sata & his greedy corrupt Ministers are in for a rough ride, they will honestly be killed & lynched by Zambians in front of State House the way Gadaffi of Libya was killed or if they are luck they will be chased the way evil UNIP dictator was chased in 1991.
When i comment about Sata to be overthrown in whatever way, paid up & Ministers/PF cadres using govt resources on the internet react in a negative way.
We have never experienced Mealie Meal shortage before since 1991 not even when Zambia had Maize shortfall!
Very soon spontaneous riots will start that will cage Sata & all his corrupt PF leaders
PF Ministers or those PF cadres in govt positions who are abusing govt computers or resources to blog on ZWD or LusakaTimes to cover their corruption & change names each time they blog.
It is time to work up because Dictaor Sata has failed to run the country. He is a dictator who is just making noise like an empty tin.
Every Zambia from Kabompo, Solwezi, Chipata, Kasama, Copperbelt & Lusaka, are suffering & dying from hunger.
Why have Zambians lost the respect of queuing for Mealie Meal which they claimed back from UNIP & its evil dictator Kaunda?
Marriages will be broken very soon because women will be taken advantage just for a bag of mealie meal or getting a letter from the District Commissioner!
What a shame!
Such a shame. People wanted a change and boy have they got it!! I iterate, by 2016 Zambia will be a whole lot worse than Zimbabwe. Zimbabweans were driving to Zambia to buy food. Zambians will soon start driving to Botswana or Malawi or any of our neighbouring countries to buy food and meanwhile the mealie meal trucks will sneak into state house to povide for these greedy deceivious muppets you all voted for!! Open your eyes citizens, these muppets DON’T GIVE A DAMN!!!! As for the pf cadres, they are a waste of space enticing thuggery in our country. They wake early to go to ‘work’, the job being to raise their stupid hand, shout and then riot after that its back home. What a nice successful day and then no mealie meal for their nshima. What a bunch of pillocks they are.
Why does everyone get excited and upset…the FRA supposedly purchase 800’000MT maize and still sitting with roughly 600’000MT, maize meal shortage is due to Millers not having maize not the Government. Dont blame the Government, blame the Millers who decided not to buy maize and rely on FRA to supply them. Only 2 months to go to new crop and plenty maize available…the issue if for Miller to buy at market prices from FRA and market.