November/December mealie meal price likely to increase

A fortnight ago Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Wilbur Simuusa announced the increased floor price of maize for the 2014/2015 maize marketing season by K5, to K70 for a 50-kilogramme (KG) bag of maize from K65.
MAZ president Allan Sakala said the increase in the maize floor price will also affect the price of maize food products, especially that the cost of doing business in the country is high.
“Mealie-meal prices are likely to increase between November and December this year, following the K5 increase on the maize floor price for the 2014/2015 maize marketing season by Government.
We decided not to increase the price there and then, but later in the next three or four months within the course of this year, the prices of mealie-meal and maybe even other maize meal products will go up,” Mr Sakala said in an interview in Lusaka recently.
He said the increase will also be based on the high cost of storage facilities which include maize fumigation.
Mr Sakala also urged Zambians to be wary of traders who buy mealie-meal from millers cheaply for resell at K65 a 25kg bag, saying such dealers are exploiting consumers.
He said currently mealie-meal prices have stabilised with a 25kg bag fetching between K60 and K63, unlike before when people were buying a 25kg bag of maize meal between K75 and K85.
Mr Sakala said traders are only allowed to increase a minimum of K3 on each 25kg bag of mealie-meal upon buying it from the millers.

Zambia Daily Mail