In a recent update provided by Henry Kapata, Director and Spokesperson for the Ministry of Information and Media, the current situation regarding Zambia National Service (ZNS) mealie meal production was unveiled, shedding light on important developments to meet the growing demand for this essential staple.
Key highlights of the update include:
ZNS Chongwe Milling Plant: The Chongwe Milling Plant, one of the three ZNS milling plants, boasts a daily production capacity of 40 tons.
Chinese-Aided Project: These three milling plants were constructed as part of a China-aided project, a testament to the strong and enduring partnership between Zambia and the People’s Republic of China.
Other Plant Locations: In addition to Chongwe, the two other milling plants are located in Monze and Mpika, with impressive daily production capacities of 240 tons each.
Official Handover: The Chongwe Milling Plant was officially handed over to the Zambian Government on June 3, 2022.
Effective Operation: Since the handover, the Chongwe Milling Plant has been operating effectively, serving the local community and contributing to mealie meal production.
Expanding Capacity: In response to the high demand for mealie meal in Lusaka, the ZNS Command made the strategic decision to enhance mealie meal production by complementing the Chongwe Plant with Superior and Mushe Milling Plants.
Henry Kapata emphasized that increasing production capacity is essential in making mealie meal more accessible and affordable to the citizens of Lusaka and beyond. By expanding the production facilities, the government is addressing the growing demand for this staple food product.
What happened to PF solar milling machines? They got a loan to buy those grinding mills.
Gary should go round country to collect them.
These are operating okay. I use one near my residence.
ZNS and other private millers should Set up milling plants in each provincial capital to reduce transportation related costs . This will cut down the mealie meal retail price.
No need having mealie meal from Lusaka being sold in Mongu or livingstone.
Where’s that maize coming from. ZNS? Is it imported? If so why did we export our almost naturally grown maize only to import GMO suspected maize?
I’m asking without malicious intentions.
This is not sustainable. Come March 2024 ZNS will have no maize. The problem is not at producing and selling mealie meal. The problem is at production and marketing of maize. HH is dealing with the smoke and not the fire. For as long as farmers are not given farming inputs, the FISP IMF have told HH to stop giving, there will be no maize. Everyone is missing the big picture here. This ZNS smoke screen HH is giving you will only last up to December and the poor Zambians will dance the real hardships next year when fuel is at k35/per liter as prescribed to the puppet in office by IMF. Why do you think the so called dept deal is signed up to now. It is because HH has not met what they have told to meet.
Kwashala legalizing filya
GMO I will pass
It’s better to die from hunger than painful Cancer
Eat at your own risk. Gmo from babylonia in the west. Hh will sell your lives one day. Don’t trust a man who licks his lips when talking. They are crooks
I have known Henry Kapata for over 30 years and I’ll tell you right now the chap is a serious bootlicker/liar and will say anything to make his superiors happy! Every morning as early as 5am when you pass by the ZNS Chongwe milling plant you’ll find women and children queuing up to buy mealie meal. Why wasn’t production ramped up then? Didn’t they see the high demand? And mind you this is time there were still sufficient maize stock…if you are s2upid enough to believe this cr@p then you need to get your head examined. SMH
In July, Hon. Garry Nkhombo instructed people to beautify Lusaka by buying paint only from Decotex at 20%. It was called, The Decotex Paint scandal.
Eagle mealie meal in Shoprite is said to be K230 per bag. Another Scandal! Why must grz be advertising for these shops? Lusaka has 17 Shoprite shops. Zambia has 41 outlets, half of them in Lusaka. This ZNS and Shoprite alliance is impractical. Some people never learn. I see Faliure. Bally CANNOT fix this mess.
Bravo ZNS and shoprite….This issue of mealie meal is only affecting urban densely populated areas like Lusaka, Kitwe, Ndola etc.The rural areas have no problems cause they grow their own food.
So It makes sense to use Shoprite to distribute and retail the low priced mealie meal. Buy mid 2024 this mealie meal price issue will be a thing of the past.
Bravo ZNS and shoprite….This issue of mealie meal is only affecting urban densely populated areas like Lusaka, Kitwe, Ndola etc.The rural areas have no problems cause they grow their own food.
So It makes sense to use Shoprite to distribute and retail the low priced mealie meal as they have many outlets in the urban areas. By mid 2024 this mealie meal price issue will be a thing of the past.
3 milling plants for the whole country is not enough. On top of that sourcing for cheaper maize to keep the price down makes it even harder. This won’t be sustainable for long.
So if the previous administrations hadn’t come up with the ZNS figayos what was HH going to do? Let’s respect our predecessors.
The amount of maize needed for food security in Zambia, with an estimated population of 20 million people, would depend on various factors, including dietary preferences, nutritional needs, and crop yield. On average, a person might consume around 100-150 kilograms of maize per year in a typical diet.
Assuming a consumption rate of 125 kilograms per person per year, you could estimate that Zambia would need approximately 2.5 million metric tons of maize to help ensure food security for a population of 20 million people. This is a very rough estimate, and actual requirements can vary based on multiple factors.
The question is can ZNS or ZAF produce that amount of Maize if Govt cut more Small Scale farmers from FISP who produces 80% of Maize? There lays your problem, ZAMSTATS told us the population has grown to 20 million Zambians yet Govt cuts FISP beneficiaries who produce most of the maize because IMF said so. Some policies very laughable
ZNS, ZAF, ZA, ZP cannot even produce 150,000 metric tons of Maize. Don’t play try and error on food. Nipanotuli
Ask yourself how many metric tons of Maize has FRA bought so far? Less than 400,000 metric tons. Govt has got no option but to import Maize GMO or not for Zambians not to starve. ZNS mealie meal very questionable
I think to overcome the shortage of mealie meal in the country, agriculture has to be empowered.