The Millers Association of Zambia (MAZ) has written to the Government proposing a hike in the price of Mealie-meal owing to the 15 percent increment in the pump price of fuel.
MAZ president Allan Sakala said the 15 percent increase in the price of petroleum products has a direct impact on the prices of Mealie-meal as both farmers and millers will spend more on transportation costs.
“We have written to the Government asking them to consider an upward adjustment to the price of Mealie-meal. We decided to engage the Government first because issues to do with Mealie-meal are quite sensitive and so we’ll wait for them to respond,” he said.
Meanwhile Agriculture and Livestock Minister Robert Sichinga says the Government has already established a formula to help consumers respond to ongoing changes in the market place that have resulted from the KR 1.75 increase in the price for all petroleum products.
In a separate interview, Mr Sichinga said the Government was alive to the fact that the increase of fuel prices would impact heavily on production costs in the agriculture sector.
“The increase of fuel prices will impact heavily on production in the agriculture sector. But we remain responsive, hence the reason why a formula has been established to help the people respond to the current changes in the market place,” he said.
He said the Government will continue working hard and improve its efficiency so that the country could have a productive agriculture sector.
“Some factors such as this are outside our control, so we’ll sit down with the stakeholders to whom my appeal is that we are all affected by the increase in fuel prices but we can provide suggestions to mitigate the impact this would have on our economy,” he said.
Zambians need to diversify into other food stuffs as staples. Problem after imichopo and guzzling shake shake everybody wants Nshima!!
There’s no substitute 4 nsima if u were born n brought up in zed. Prices of other food stuffs wil go up like bread wil go becoz high transportation cost, even kandolo izadula.
I can afford other foodstuffs and if I wanted, would change to anything as my staple, but ubwali, bwali…. Nothing else does it quite as well for me. Besides, it’s not like changing the staple food to something else, will change that food’s production cost and make it more cost effective than mealie meal.
No doubt, the cost of production goes up with the increase in fuel, but our govt is so sleepy to realize that they are driving more people into poverty. The removal of fuel subsidy only benefits the elite in society
consumer buying power for an average Zedian is reduced by this fuel hike and workers will start demanding increase in salaries resulting in more lay offs as employers try to keep costs down.
Reduced productivity impacts negatively on the wellbeing of the economy and ultimately its people.
Zambia will only develop when its people realize & begin to demand better services from govt & vote out any govt that fails to deliver.
If it means changing parties that govern the country every fives, so be it if that fosters development in the country
I hope Chishimba Kambwili now understands that fuel is not just for people who drive cars but affects even those that do not drive.Let him now sort out this mess.PF should have first sat down with key stake holders so that all possible repercussions arising from the removal of the subsidy on fuel could have been planned for.It could have even better to remove the subsidy over a period of time and in small tranches.
we all know that that the price of maize is artificially low because in Zambia nshima can cause the govt to fall.
with this latest fuel hike, its domino effect will be felt even by the unborn babies.
More poverty to the people…
What a shameless govt we have
Now I understand why the young men that voted for PF despite being advised to vote otherwise are beginning to regret.. It is indeed things fall apart, or is it CRY THE BELOVED COUNTRY.
# 1. you can diversify but he bottom line is that Rice , Potatoes , Pasta etc will still cost money to transport from point A to Z .
Fuel increase is a chain reaction unless you start using horses to transport goods !!
This is a complicated issue
@ mbuzi not only that its cheap to produce maize than these other crops.
How does transportation by horses become cheaper when their food supplements and vet medications are transported by road?
@reflector
which horses are cheap/relatively cheaper??hhahah
old and `used up` horses which cant race or are good for anything else,,
So that cheap horse meat you eat is from old and diseased horses,, go and have your brain scaned,, you have brain horse disease
iwe sichinga which formula have you established for this mess? I cant imagine vikopo vakumana mu cabinet just to agree on increasing fuel. you mean there was no one with with little sense to correct this nonses?
Katekeni mweba mano boss !
+
You are right, JB. Bob Sichinga believes in using “clever talk” to give an impression that he is intelligent. But you and I know that it is only crooks who do that. Instead of using his education to help the country move forward, this manipulative crook is always looking for opportunities to fatten his pockets. He is just like his sibling Austin.
but 15% pump price increase doesn’t justify 15% mealie meal price increase!
I mean one light truck can transport tonnes of mealie meal and the difference in cost of moving to the delivery sites cannot lead to each bag costing 15% more!!!
these same millers are not even interested in increasing wages after all
You miss the point: millers also have to pay 15% more for literally everything else!
The Government should just consider Re-Visiting the decision they took that has is now affecting the cost of goods and services. Umuntu ka bwali…
Bob Sichinga tell us what the formula is….
What a batch of Monkeys
Bob’s “formula” primarily involves a big box of confiscated tujilijili and a dart board.
nkani ya unga niyovuta baba……let us sale this country to Mugabe
Yes, maize is heavily subsidized everywhere in the world and if you are going to have your nshima, you should pay full price for it. Very free country to eat whatever you want but please don’t stick me with the bill. Alternatively, grow your own maize, my sister grows enough maize in her back yard ( no more than 30m by 30m) to feed her family for the whole year. So, shut up and pay full price or grow your own to eat all the nshima you want.
Zambians who voted for pf u have yo selves to blame. We told u that has A Vacuum were a brain was supposed to be u didn’t hear.
Millers I think writing to the government requesting the increment on the Kabwali is very much misplaced.Let us assume the fuel price is reduced by the same 15% will you reduce the price by the same.You guys Millers are just there to make profit and not to save the interest of the nation.Anyway you increase me and my family will switch to rice and ubunga bwa male na tute epela.
Are we safe? Let me take the back seat and have a glass of castle juice! There is a serious storm on the sea!
pro-poor govt for u.
Simple economics talks about spiral – effect. Once price of fuel goes up almost everything that depend on it goes up e.g tomato at John Chinena, bus fares, audit fees, consultancy, mawule, and I can not imagine anything that does not get affected. The inflation figures tell the part of the story. The truth is that the price of fuel has been kept artificially low for a long time and has been used as a tool for political appeasement. Remember that in 2011 the Donchi Kubeba govt effected a price reduction immediately they assumed power as part of the 90 days promise fulfilment. Now reality has caught up with them. Infact fuel should be much more expensive than this. It should have been a 35% increase.
How much was the price of mealie meal under the RB regime? The price will go up even further seeing as though this clueless bunch of thugs failed to supply farming inputs on time but can muster enough energy for by-elections.
I bet Sata and is boys didn’t see this coming.They are messing up big time.things were not like this in RB’s time.
but the minister said fuel increase won’t affect the poor,only those who drive personal cars
lol… Love the sarcasm.
HE was correct as you can see.
Power Failure!
I wonder how old most of you blaming the PF government are, I assume u must be in your 20’s and this to you is bad, but belive me this country has always been messed up from way back even before some of you chaps where born, in kk era there was a time when a 25kg bag of mealie meal was hiked from K37 to K.85, that’s why it makes me sad to hear people who where born just recently complain about the happenings of today, this country is on its knees and for it to stand up straight will take some time.
Patriot, just shut up. Your PF got into power by false pretenses so stop that nonsense of a history lesson. Sata promised reduced cost of living and not all these nonsensical excuses you are giving us. Malabishi bati..
@ Patrotic. Foolish thinking. So you want us to think in those days. you are mad….
THIS CAN CAUSE YOUR PRESIDENT LEAVE OFFICE BEFORE 2016. REMEMBER KK IN 1991.
Is GBM one of the millers who have written to Govt?
My calculation of fuel price hike gives me 21.5%. Where is the 15% coming from? 8.16 x 21.5% = 9.91 or how else is it calulated?
good maths
Our neighbors botht distant and near survive on rice Banana etc ,We can too.Mean while let us do everything possible to guide this nation to be conservative.Some of these issues are universala and unavoidable
The growing of Bananas also needs good govt policies. Bananas also tend to do well in equatorial countries like Uganda. I am not sure most areas in Zambia are even suited to the growing of Bananas.
Ya!!! Naikosa guys. Everyone is seeking price increase in everything. Wher are we going?
What about the recent increase that followed artificial shortages, was that not enough?
no money in the pocket !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Certain things are easier said than done. So when *****s like Fred Mmembe parrot the song of subsidizing, I find it very funny that they just end at listing the alternative crops. They don’t tell the nation what else goes into growing these crops. Take for example Rice. Rice grows well in waterlogged environments and one wonders how much of such areas we have! The fact that Fred can have the luxury of choosing what to eat doesn’t mean that maize is expensive to produce or that everyone can afford what he is eating. Maize is the one crop that can grow in any part of Zambia cheapily. You also need to look at stockfeed as well. So foolish Fred should explain to us on an apples with apples basis not just writing vizungu.
Sichinga stop hallucinating you moron!Simple analysis FUEL HIKE translates into a multiplier effect on all essential commodities meaning that the daily pricing of all goods and services will definitely go up. I don’t know what is the problem with PF leaders because politics of deception will not take PF anywhere? What do you expect when a party is full of leaders of DOOM like SATA ,BOB SICHINGA AND WYNTER who think they can ride on peoples ignorance.
Ine i eat nshima three times a day so ba Pf and your Sichinga do your maths properly i dont care which book u will get it from,but what i want is aka bwali pa table kuseni akasuba na busiku otherwise u staying in power after 2016 with this kind of takataka kaya
The law of demand and supply at play,ubunga needs proper and intelligent attention.
Petersen and Pilato…. BUFI!!! What a useless government we have.