By KASONDE KASONDE –
THE Millers Association of Zambia (MAZ) has said that Government’s directive to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) to offload  more maize on the market will result in reduced mealie-meal prices.
MAZ president, Harrison Banda said Government had done well to respond to millers’ request for the FRA to release more maize because this would result in the reduction of mealie-meal prices and would curb shortages.
Mr Banda said MAZ had been engaging Government at policy level to ensure that millers bought maize at reduced prices from FRA.
“As an association, we are happy that Government responded positively to our cries and directed FRA to offload more maize to our millers, which will see the mealie-meal prices go down,” Mr Banda said.
He said if millers bought maize from FRA at a reduced price, the wholesale prices would equally reduce which would see consumers buy the mealie-meal cheaply.
Mr Banda said that the contract that FRA has signed with millers would see the reduction of mealie-meal prices across Zambia and address shortages that were recorded in some areas.
FRA announced that it would soon offload more maize following the signing of a contract with millers across Zambia to address the prevailing high mealie-meal prices.
The agency has signed a contract to supply 539,000 tonnes of maize to millers across the country.
A check at selected retail shops in the town centre yesterday found a 25 kilogramme bag of breakfast mealie-meal selling between K75 and K85 despite calls by Government that the commodity be priced at K70.
A 10 kilogramme breakfast mealie-meal bag was selling between K37 and K50.