Zambia National Service (ZNS) is actively pursuing an agreement to broaden the distribution of its affordable mealie meal beyond Shoprite stores, according to the country’s Defence Minister, Ambrose Lufuma. The move to make ZNS mealie meal more accessible to the general public at market-reflective prices has already prompted some private sector players to adjust the cost of this staple commodity.
In an interview with ZNBC News, Minister Lufuma also revealed that ZNS is making preparations to acquire land in all ten provinces of Zambia. This move aims to increase maize production and ensure a steady supply of mealie meal to meet the population’s needs.
The efforts to provide accessible and reasonably priced mealie meal have yielded significant progress thus far, with ZNS Chief of Marketing and Public Relations, Mulenga Nyone, sharing that over 7,060 bags of 25-kilogram mealie meal have been delivered to Shoprite outlets in Lusaka. Furthermore, ZNS has extended its distribution to Melissa Supermarket, offering consumers a wider range of options for procuring the staple.
Colonel Nyone further disclosed that ZNS intends to expand the distribution of mealie meal to Shoprite in Kabwe and other provinces in the coming week, solidifying the organization’s commitment to ensuring that mealie meal remains affordable and accessible to all.
However, recent allegations of price inconsistencies have arisen, with PF Acting President Given Lubinda accusing ZNS of selling mealie meal at different prices. He claimed that a 25kg bag of breakfast mealie meal is sold at K150 at ZNS depots while the same product is available at K230 through Shoprite chain stores.
In response to these allegations, Chief Government Spokesperson Cornelius Mweetwa has rejected the claims as false and misleading. Mweetwa assured the public that the initiative to provide affordable mealie meal is progressing as planned, and noted that some millers have expressed their readiness to join the effort of offering cost-effective mealie meal to chain stores.
The commitment to making mealie meal accessible and affordable remains a priority in Zambia, with various stakeholders working collaboratively to ensure that this essential commodity is within reach of all citizens.
Where is the nsima brigade to kick off complaints ????
Zambians definitely need to diversify from maize meal to include other meals, like poatato meal, millet meal………or rice meal.
White maize meal is a vestige of colonialism, our ancestors did not always have white maize meal which lacks nutrition compared to other crops like sorghum or millet that can make nsima
UPND is a listening government, they are hearing us rulers.
This is the most achievement in history of Zambia. KK should have lived to witness his dreams of ZNS.
Look at the different packaging, nice!!
Open a packaging products factory too.
The packaging is horrible. Compare with Iwisa
Its packaged like cement!
This is very welcome move; the private sector exploited many Zambians for too long Imagin they are busy selling meal mill at ZMW330.00 now look at the difference and now they will willingly start also selling the same commodity at the correct price.
Well done UPND:
(1) Meal Mill now sorted out
(2) Load shedding sorted
(3) Fertilizer sorted out we are even export
(4) Free education sorted out
(5) CDF increase to 30.6 million
(6) Ndola LSK dual carriage way on construction
(7) Chibuluma road in Kitwe sorted out
(6) KCM sorted out
They are just too many things to list
That’s your wish list. For mealie meal you think K230.00 is cheap?
Has fertilizer viz a viz FISP been sorted out? Many people have been removed from the program. You cannot compare a private business man to ZNS… the later has no overheads and very soon it will not be sustainable… this Lufoma is talking because he knows his party is in trouble.
you are mad the zns has just inceased the price of meali meal and not reduced.U are very dull my boy
A person goes into town from were ever to look for mealie-meal from Shoprite at K230 after spending close to K50 on transport ending up spending abt K280.
Loading shedding can end yes coz PF invested massively in Dams
CDF is a good idea but announced sums are not being released-what a scam
Uncoordinated development in the country because of CDF is not coordinated
ZNS have no feedstock and is left like a river without water. When Chongwe plant opened in February, unga was 120 to 150 per bag. What has changed. FRA, whose silos are empty, is prime fodder for ZNS.
Which dreamland do you come from?
Gmo brought in to kill Zambians by upnd
DONT LIE IT START WITH YOU PF F000ls
FRA control on maize price Commercial farmers stopped production.
ZNS control on mealie meal price Private millers will stop production.
Expect serious shortages and hunger now. That’s when you’ll see the real tantameni. This is KK UNIP downfall days playing itself all over again.
If you don’t read history it’s bound to repeat itself…
#IWE
Also known as #Tarino Orange, #Jay Yay and #N.
What is your proposal? PF wants to subsidise, who foots the subsidy, it mean only thing, increase taxes. People don’t want tax increases, a good example is mobile transaction levy of 0.008 ngwee, there has been an outcry. Subsidies are cost and should only be used as short term measure. Under PF felt entitled to subsidies.
IMF tells you to cut on FISP and you’re dwii. Are we even a sovereign country? Zimbabwe was right about Zambia’s current crop of leadership.
From Decotex Scandal to Shoprite dishonor. Just short of sounding apologetic, Hon. Lufuma says ‘Eagle One’ mealie meal will be available in more shops than Shoprite. It is scandalous for Mr. Kapata to advertise for a private RSA firm on mealie meal produced by grz? A sound judgment error.
Kapata has joined the liar’s team no wonder he’s managed to get a big post in the Upnd government when all others who served under PF have been fired.
He could have been a snitch for Upnd.
@Deja Vu. As I said the other day, I have known Henry Kapata for over 30 years and the chap is a serious bootlicker/liar and will say anything to make his superiors happy!
What people are failing to see/understand is that this is in effect a subsidy by GRZ using taxpayers money as ZNS does not pay it’s employees and does not pay any overheads (electricity, water, HR/Finance, transport,..). All these are paid using taxpayers money, so they can afford to sell cheaply. How long this will last before we go back to the old UNIP days (in tears) is any ones guess.
@ Iwe …..”ZNS control on mealie meal price Private millers will stop production”
I was surprised to hear the Private Millers complain about price distortion. So the government action has actually exposed the cartel of private millers who are behind the upward push of prices.
ZNS has revealed that the cost of producing a 25kg bag of breakfast mealie meal using FRA maize is K190.
I wonder why the private millers are selling the same product at K290-K300?. A mark up of between K100-K110 per 25kg back of breakfast. Whats the reason for the premium price?
The should fortify the breakfast mealie meal with zinc, vitamin A, folic acid, vitamin D , calcium then the premium price of K290 for 25kg breakfast will make sense.
Uncle Spider is confused. And dear aunties, here is why; firstly, the same ZNS has been engaged to ensure ‘smooth exportation of maize by only allowing FRA maize and some selected politically exposed companies to export to DRC’. Everyone else is a smuggler and is taken to police.
So ZRA is given a directive to export maize, prevent others from doing so. Then we have a shortage of mealie meal as a result of said export (which same defence minister bragged about).
And in a free market economy, you start using government through ZNS, to stabilize the price of mealie meal?
Dear aunties, help Uncle Spider understand.
Stop insulting people’s intelligence. They know subsidies are a cost. They also know that tax rebates and exemptions on multinational conglomerates are costs too. Governments collects money in taxes to put in a pool for use for the benefit of the people. Subsidies are a part of such benefits. Am just as confused as Uncle Spider when we are told free education is consuming all our appropriation share.
Just like they killed Commercial maize production, they are going to kill Private millers mealie meal production. And to make tye matter worse FISP beneficiaries have been reduced & Govt even export the little produce.
Maize production will go down & mealie meal production will reduce leading to shortages in the near future. There lays the problem;
Small scale farmers in FISP cannot produce all the maize the country needs. And ZNS with only 3 milling plants cannot produce for the whole Nation. Just a stop in production for maintenance in any if the ZNS plant will he leading to chaos in the country. Nipanotuli
Some people the way they think it is surprising, its looks like they are not Zambians but foreigners, how can a normal person start complaining when GRZ has brought down the price of meal mill without forcing private sector to reduce their commodities. If Private sector want to, let them hike their commodities to ZMW800 breakfast and ZMW500 roller meal because they have no heart for us Zambians, not these foreigners supporting these things which do not add up.
GRZ is there to ensure that the Zambian people are not exploited by selfish so-called private sector, we need to take care of our voters no matter what it takes.
Mulekutika, efyo boyi
#Peace Maker
Our worry is the shortage and capacity for ZNS to produce for the whole Nation if Peivate Millers stop producing. We’ll go back mwa Kaunda UNIP
So far you have only managed to supply shoprite lusaka and yet you are looking for more outlets. First exhaust the demand of supplying all the shoprites in the whole country before you start looking for more shops to supply. Jumping the gun without having the capacity.
The problem is not mealie meal production and supply. The problem is at maize production. HH has failed FISP and come much next year ZNS will have no maize to grind. Besides HH said mealie meal will be at k50 once voted in to power. He found bunga just like fuel at low price while look at now you f00lish cadres praise singers who can not even access him while Neyo who cannot even be granted access to the American president was being entertained by you silly boy.
ZNS, ZAF, ZA Govt cannot even produce 100 thousand metric tons alone. Yet you cut small scale farmers from FISP who produce 80% because the IM F said so. Very laughable! Yet Zambia needs at least 1 million metric tons to be food secure for the 20 million Zambians i.e if we were to give each Zambian a 50kg bag of mealie meal. Let’s not do chipantepante on Agriculture. Nipanotuli
ZN S, ZA F, Z A Gov t cannot even produce 100 thousand metric tons alone. Yet you cut small scale farmers from FIS P who produce 80% because the muzungu said so. Very laughable! Yet Zambia needs at least 1 million metric tons to be food secure for the 20 million Zambians i.e if we were to give each Zambian a 50kg bag of mealie meal. Let’s not do chipantepante on Agricultur e. Nipanotuli