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Choma mealie meal crisis critical

By editor
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The shortage of Mealie Meal has become serious in Choma in Southern Province following suspension of production of the commodity by Choma Milling Company.

The situation has resulted in a sharp increase in the price of mealie meal
on the black markets where a 25 kilogramme bag of roller meal is now
fetching K 75,000.

A survey by ZANIS in Choma this morning found National Milling
Company mealie meal brands on display for sale along Winston Street in the
town centre where vendors, mostly youths, are cashing in on the shortage of
the commodity.

Bags of National Milling Company mealie meal were also found on the open
market at Makalanguzu market.

Some, traders from surrounding districts of Sinazongwe, Monze, Namwala and
Kalomo have been flocking to Choma in the hope that Choma Milling Company
will resume production.

Meanwhile, long winding queues this morning had formed up as early as
06.00 hours at Spar Choma after word went round that the chain store had
received mealie meal from National milling Company.

By 08.00 at the opening of business, management at Spar had a tough time
controlling the crowds that had besieged the premises wanting to buy mealie
meal.

District Commissioner Laiven Apuleni told ZANIS in Choma today (Tuesday)that most
residents seemed to have gone into panic buying because of the uncertainty
surrounding the availability of mealie meal following the suspension of
production by Choma Milling Company due to lack of maize.

Mr Apuleni expressed fears that the situation might result into hoarding of
the commodity in homes.

ZANIS/ENDS/CM/CLM

editor
editorhttp://www.lusakatimes.com

64 COMMENTS

  9. who shall sort out these issues!!!

    Ma problems!!! One after another!!!

    Planning is critical and then implementing and monitoring

    just wondering when Zambia shall be the one i envision!!!!

  11. bane ebuteko mwa le fwaya!! even the bible says you shall reap what you sow. you vote for Nyama soya you get nyama soya solutions to national crises.

  13. FRA has released some maize to Choma Milling so people should not panic. Management of Choma Milling should assure people that they are resuming production not just keeping quiet it doesn’t help.

  14. Tell your leaders to sort your problems instead of moving from one country to another trying to acquire some allowances. remember what we were telling you in october last year, you never listened to our advice.
    otherwise prepare yourselves for wild fruits.

  16. Unip is back again. Next nyama soya will be distributing coupons hahahaha.though its not a matter 2 lough about.RB wake up.

  17. Sad indeed let’s hope my wife in Sinazongwe is not affected. in case you are ‘HONEY’ let me know so that I can Text you some melie meal via SMS!

  18. FRA, must release some maize from the so called reserves so as to make Choma milling start production before the situation get’s out of hand!

  19. If FRA fails to sell cheap maize to Choma Milling company in the course of this week then we are going to use all the GRZ veicles which are just iddle in garages, to ferry all the affected citizens to State House so that the Goverment will be feeding them up to the time when the situation will be contained.

  23. Let the villagers suffer since they are the ones who voted for RB. They will come and eat during campaign in 2011.

  25. The grain traders association has testified that the country has enough grain stocks. For obvious reasons, some unscrupulous businessmen and politicians in high office decided to create an artificial shortage of the commodity to pave way for GMO importation. If you won’t call this corruption, then you are nuts!

  28. 500mt of maize has been released to choma milling but the question is, is it enough how long can plant run? Since there was completely nothing FRA should think of increasing the tonage. Someone should talk to board chairman Mr Chilala his relatives are dying in the south (former maize belt)

  31. We should not depend on nshima,try yam,cassava, rice,millet,sorghum,potatoes and green bananas[matoke]prices and shortages will reduce. (~~)**==(~~)

  34. #33. Obviously if we had a competent government in place, it would have instituted investigations into the artificial shortage of maize in the country and the GMO saga. But, alas, RB came out fighting the allegations and swearing even that his son was not involved, a total disregard of the due process of the law.

  38. suspension of production of the commodity by Choma Milling Company.
    Why did the govt allow this to happen. they are failing the pipo, they need nshima, please do something.

  39. 36. Chewe
    No one messes with akamamo, these pipo are playing.

    You can not mess with ubunga.its like driving a car with out fuel.

  41. Who ever is behind this artificial shortage has to be dealt with seriously,we cant afford a situation where people are starving and yet the country is sitting on 90000mt of maize….come on guys lets be serious!!

  43. YOU VOTED FOR A MR MUWELE WELE.
    WHAT ELSE DO YOU EXPECT.
    IT WAS SUGAR AT FIRST,NOW ITS MEALIE MEAL AND PETROL(FUEL)
    VERY SOON IT WILL BE TRANSPORT IN GENERAL.
    WAIT AND SEE.
    KAILI BEVE BANYOPOLA!

  45. I know the mealie meal issue is a crisis but LT do not misrepresent…yo pix shows that a 25kg of breakfast is fetching for K60,000.00 but yo story says that the same bag of roller is going for K75,000.00. since wen did u have roller being more expensive than breakfast (mugayiwa)??? if u dont have rite pix then dont use anything at all

  48. The whole scene is biblical,where people cross the 2008 election with Nyama soya heading the crowd to the other side where there is no mealie meal.Zambians do not learn you intrust people like Katele kalumba who was on the run together with a former Unipist RB.Who is laughing the loudest now.the few who swam after the titanic sunk or those who followed a deceased`s legacy by siding with a failure RB?

  49. Why did Choma Milling suspend production?
    Ba L.T feed us with the right data.
    Its a pity,
    people have the money but the commodity is scarce. Why cant some one crack the right code to solve this on going problem??

    GMO maize is out.:o:o:)>-

  52. This issue of mealie meal is nothing but a national disaster. we must not allow President R.B to get away with this one. He reminds me of the last kaunda days These were days puncuated by massive food shortages./ fuel shortages /. smuggling. This president was in that regime and is related to the oldman .I wont be surprised to learn that he is in fact the chief advisor /spoiler. Please leave former president chiluba alone. at least he cleared the mess left behind by his predecessor. God serve zambia.

  53. RB is taking us back to the days of shortage of essential goods. This was always going to happen but majority thought it was the wise move to continue with MMD and a president who has passed his use by date. It’s a shame

  55. Where is the promised bumper harvest maize grains? they sold it cheaply to neibours and now importing at twice the cost. General Kanene shout them in your next songs. They never seem to learn cause we Zambians docile.They get away easily with murder after committing it right under our very noses.

  56. Seriously NyamaSoya is not the solution for this country. I have been a fervent supporter of Ba Sata, but now I think his time is up, but can be useful as a consultant or in Opposition. H.H is also not even remotely the solution.

    Hence other younger Generation candidates must sieze the mantle, we take over the governance of this country from the “Ba past due date” leaders we have.Otherwise we shall live through these terrible mistakes and it’s us to live through them.maintain SATA as a consultant. The man has more things to offer, he has even sobbered up but still useful.

  57. FRA doesn’t have much stocks that’s why they panic ending up with GMO. Most parts of the country have run out of mealie meal.RB has betrayed his former boss in his death with his pledge for continuity wen he is doing the contrary (apart from Globe trottin). Remember he even used LPM posters during campaigns.

  60. ‘Choma mealie meal crisis critical’… ‘RB urges Zambians to sell mealie meal to their Zimbabwean brothers and sisters’…huh!!:-w

  61. I am in Livingstone just now and the situation is dire. None of the eating places are selling Nshima due to the shortage of the commodity. I passed Choma this afternoon and people were queing up for mealie, and the site was reminescent of the UNIP days of shortages.We are certainly in hot soop unless something is done quickly.

  62. 3 years is a long time with this begining. Tighten your belts Zambian’s we are in for a bumpy ride.
    Nyama soya, how are we going to sell mealie meal to Zim Zim’s when we dont even have it ourselves. Tisiyana kuganiza.Bring your whole self back home and work, stop these sight seeing of Africa.

  64. Tomato Tomato balunda,Onion nobunga nafyo fya dula.Uno mwaka tulefwa kunsala na bola wine echo tulushila.nga fya pakama fila tulaba ifi buteko

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