By REBECCA MUSHOTA, MOFFAT CHAZINGWA, CHILA NAMAIKO
and CHATULA KANGALI –

MANY mealie-meal outlets in the country have not reduced the price of the staple food despite Government’s intervention to slash the prices last week.
An on the spot check in Lusaka yesterday revealed that many outlets had not reduced mealie-meal prices despite an announcement by Government that the prices have been cut by at least K4.
A check at many outlets yesterday indicated that the mealie-meal prices have not been adjusted downwards despite the announcement by Agriculture and Livestock Minister Given Lubinda on Friday.
Sales persons interviewed said that they were still selling the old stock and therefore the mealie-meal was being sold at the old prices.
Mr Lubinda at a Press briefing on Friday said after a consultative meeting with millers, Government set the maximum price of mealie-meal at K61 per 25kg bag and K44 for a 25kg roller-meal bag.
Sisi shop in Mandevu Township was selling a 25kg roller-meal bag at K52 while Total Filling Station on the Great North Road was selling a 25kg breakfast meal bag of Mushe brand at K70 and a roller-meal bag of the same quantity going at K60.
In Kabwata residential area, a 25 kg breakfast bag was generally going for K68 and the Superior Milling retail outlet on Katimamulilo Road in Garden Township was selling a 25 kg breakfast bag at K67 and roller-meal bag at K52.
Superior Milling managing director Peter Cottan said in an interview that the Government announcement was made on Friday and the company made the adjustments yesterday morning.
He said all the outlets would then have reduced prices by today.
In Kitwe most retail shops had not adjusted the price of mealie-meal by yesterday.
A snap check around town and the nearby townships found retailers still selling mealie meal at the same old price before the K4 reduction was announced.
Save for Olympic Milling which had reduced by at least K2 making a 25 kg bag of breakfast mealie meal to fetch K66 from the previous K68, the other brands had maintained the same old price.
Antelope Milling in town was found to have maintained the old price of K69 for a 25 kg bag of breakfast and K49 for the same bag of roller meal.
Mpongwe mealie-meal was equally found being sold at the same old price of K70 in most retail shops around some townships like Chimwemwe.
In Choma, mealie-meal prices have also remained unchanged despite Government announcing a reduction on prices for both breakfast and roller meal last week.
A 25 kg bag of breakfast was being sold at K65 while roller of the same quantity was K48 in all retail outlets of Choma Milling Company, one of the major suppliers of mealie meal in Southern Province.
In Ndola prices of mealie-meal in some supermarkets in Ndola have reduced by K3 and K4 while in others, the prices have remained unchanged.
A check at Olympic Milling outlet revealed that a 25 kilogramme bag of breakfast mealie meal was trading at K67 from the old price of K70, representing a reduction of K3.
At Pick n Pay, mealie meal prices reduced by K4 as a 25 kilogramme bag of the commodity was now selling at K69.
But at Shoprite and Superior Milling, the prices of the commodity remained unchanged as a check revealed that a 25 kilogramme of breakfast mealie meal was pegged at K70.99.