By CHARITY MOONGA –
THE Millers Association of Zambia (MAZ) has started signing contracts with the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) to implement the Presidential directive for reasonable prices of mealie meal.
MAZ executive director Harrison Banda said in an interview that millers were working with Government, through the FRA to implement the directive for reasonable mealie meal prices.
“Millers are working with the Government on this directive. There have been no hardships so far and everything is going on well,” Mr Banda said.
He explained that millers had for a long time been pushing for reasonable maize prices that would ensure that in the end mealie meal prices were affordable to the ordinary people.
“It was difficult to implement this idea because maize prices were very high. As millers we were also very worried about the consumers but now Government is on board and we are working toward achieving this programme,” he said.
He also welcomed President Lungu’s directive to stop pegging prices in dollars.
Wheat and maize prices were being charged in dollars or higher Kwacha prices and that was going to continue making it difficult to come up with reasonable prices.
He explained that at the moment millers were signing contracts with the FRA to ensure reasonable princing of mealie meal.
President Lungu has warned millers against effecting unreasonable price hikes of mealie meal.
He said it was economic sabotage for millers to increase mealie meal prices when the price they bought the maize had been reduced.
Mr Lungu said during a tour in Mkushi that Government could be forced to intervene to make mealie-meal affordable in regions where people are being exploited.
He said the high prices of mealie-meal amount to economic sabotage and that his Government will be forced to intervene so that people can access affordable mealie-meal.
“If I intervene those who are talking about the free market should not complain because they have started this. We are doing our best and our best is to be close to the people and ensure that they access basic food cheaply, and basic food is mealie-meal,” Mr Lungu said.