Chirundu mealie meal shortages stabilizes

District Commissioner Maxwell Siamalimba says the shortage of mealie meal which was experienced in Chirundu was as a result of some selfish UPND officials who were inciting traders to create shortages in order to tarnish the good image of the Patriotic Front government.
 
 Mr Siamalimba who is scheduled to meet all mealie meal dealers to discuss on the reduction of the commodity prices said that it was sad that some traders were hiding mealie meal in their shops to create artificial shortages with the view to maintain high prices.
 
Meanwhile the District Commissioner said government has engaged ZAMBEEF which is currently supplying the mealie meal and selling a 25kg breakfast at a recommended price of KR50.

The District Commissioner disclosed this in an interview with ZANIS today.
 
Mr Siamalimba said that ZAMBEEF has promised to put up a milling plant at Poontuni in Chirundu district where it will be milling the staple food to be supplied in the district.
 
The District Commissioner said by the end of March this year the plant would start its operation.
 
Meanwhile residents have expressed happiness by government’s quick response to avert the shortage of mealie meal in the area.
 
And former Chirundu Councilor, Gift Chanda said the melie meal shortage in some parts of the district is quit threatening.
 
Mr Chanda who is also MMD Chirundu District Secretary said the only timehe saw people scrambling for melie meal was during the UNIP era way back in the late 1980s.
 
And, some retailers talked to said it was becoming very expensive for them to trade in mealie meal because there was no profit in selling a 25kg of mealie meal at KR50 when a whosale price from the millers was KR48.
 
Currently a 25kg bag of breakfast in Chirundu is selling at KR56 while a 25kg bag of roller meal is being sold at KR45 from retail shops.