By Benedict Tembo
Rose Nkandu, a trader of Chingola’s Kasompe township has every readon to be joyful.
Ms Nkandu shares the joy with several other residents of Chingola and beyond, of a phenomenal reduction in the price of mealie meal.
The resumption of mealie meal production by Zambia National Service (ZNS) in Chingola District has influenced a drastic reduction in the price of the staple commodity in the Copperbelt Province.
A 25 kilogramme of breakfast mealie meal which was costing around K320, is now fetching at K195.
ZNS, which is running Mussi Milling under a joint venture with the Kazenene family, has flooded the market with the Eagles brand of mealie meal and stabilised the price of the commodity.
Albina Mwansa who plies her trade in Chingola’s Chiwempala township, testified that both breakfast and roller meal manufacturered by Mussi Milling is a real deal.Her joy is shared by Chingola mayor Jonathan Kangombe, who is happy with the positive intervention ZNS has made through its Eagles mealie meal brand.
Mr Kangombe noted that consumers in Chingola and beyond now have a choice between the expensive mealie meal and the reasonably priced commodity by ZNS.
He said the gesture by ZNS has seen workers who were laid off during the hiatus being recalled. ZNS Liaison officer at Mussi Milling Major Suwilanji Sikombe noted the overwhelming demand for the Eagle brand as traders are coming from all parts of the Copperbelt. ZNS is offering the 25 kilogramme bag of breakfast at K185 wholesale price while roller meal is at K160.
Major Sikombe said Mussi Milling currently produces 3,000×25 kilogrammes bags of mealie meal per day.
He said the milling plant can produce up to 3,800 bags per day.
Speaking during the flagging of the milling plant last month, Copperbelt Province Minister Elisha Matambo said Government has placed a high premium on stabilising mealie- meal prices across the country through such ventures.
Mr Matambo said the partnership is cardinal because it will not only add to the variety of mealie- meal brands on the market, but will also make it available to the people of the Copperbelt at an affordable price.
He said the flagging off of the sale of Eagle mealie-meal will go a long way in addressing the situation and fulfilling Government’s resolve of providing cheaper Mealie- meal to its citizens.
Speaking at the same occasion, ZNS Deputy Commander Major General Reuben Mwewa said ZNS was committed to supplementing the Government’s efforts of producing affordable Mealie-meal.
Maj. Gen. Mwewa explained that the Government through the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) had allocated 5, 000 metric tonnes of maize to ZNS to produce Eagle breakfast and roller meal at the Milling Plant in Chongwe, Monze, and Mpika.
“ZNS is always ready to work with the local private sector to help better the lives of the citizens,” he said.
UPND thought being in charge of the government is a joke….now they’re making Lungu look like he was a genius…..HH looks confused
Did you even read the article or are you just waffling. I see a government responding to a crisis. That you would even use genius and Lungu in one sentence says it all. Challenges will arise and challenges will be met, but the thuggery and thievery of ECL’s era is behind us – and thank goodness for that.
@Makunku Kolala is right. How long do you think ZNS will flood the market with the subsidized product? The cost of fertilizer and that of raw maize is not correlating with that price of mealie meal.
Tembo when did you come to Kasompe? The Eagle mealie meal hasn’t solved the problem. Just come to Kitwe Nakadoli Market and see what’s happening. This is like fighting a fire with water instead of the recommend chemical. Travel and see what is happening instead of writing fiction.
Tell your relatives in DRC to grow maize instead of relying on zambian smuggled maize………
And prices will stabilise……..
#Spaka get off the boat and drown in lake Itezhi Itezhi.
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They are failing at simple things like recognising gay rights. So how can you expect this government to solve your economic problems? Let us be real. Hh was funded by our gay business partners and today he is behaving like heterosexuals funded him. He won’t win in 2026 if he continues like this. Let him legalise homosexuality this coward
This is the way to reduce prices by increasing production and flooding the market not by heavy handed tactics forcing millers to reduce by force.