By Jack Mwiimbu
Zambians were assured by the PF government that they had taken measures two years ago to reduce the price of mealie meal through the acquisition of solar-driven hammer mills. We were assured at the time that the price of a twenty-five-kilogram bag of roller meal wouldn’t be more than K40. Nothing of the aforementioned happened. The price of staple food has skyrocketed to levels that are not affordable to an ordinary Zambian.
The PF government through the minister of information has woken up from slumber and issued a very depressing and uninspiring statement on the escalating mealie meal prices. It’s important to note that we as UPND have been advising and warning the government over the catastrophic situation we shall face as a result of the poor agricultural policies.
The situation is being aggravated by the failure of FRA to purchase enough maize to meet the national strategic reserve of 500, 000 metric tonnes. The aforesaid failure by the FRA has made the nation to be food insecure. As a result of the escalating mealie meal prices, the hunger situation has entered the bedroom of the urban dwellers.
It, therefore, follows that the government has to put urgent measures to address this unfortunate situation. We await to see how this flip flop government shall address this disaster taking into account the severe financial distress facing the country as a result of the poor governance by the PF.
Jack Mumbwe your (HH) told Zambians that he will be in State House in 2006, 2008, 2011, 2015, 2016.
Nothing of the aforementioned happened.
We are worried for 2021 that nothing will materialize his Chipante pante message.
As a country we take Nshima to be essential to our very survival but those of us who have lived outside the country for some time will tell you that one can go without Nshima for years. In my case I live on rice and noodles in China to replace Nshima. My point being that, we should begin considering diversifying our diet. Rice is another food crop we can use for starch in our diet. We can send a team to China, thailand, or vietnam to go and learn how to grow rice on a large scale given the fact that we have abundant water resources to cultivate rice. We should not politicize mealie meal, it is just one among many options. My humble opinion.
“nothing will materialize” because of tr!bal !mbeciles like you?
In order to survive as a country we need to think outside of the box, as Einstein rightfully said and I quote, “insanity is doing the same thing all the time and expecting a different result.” Maize has proved to be a problem given our changing climate. Why not give rice a shot? We have so much water the hippos have resumed to polygamy to fill up the rivers. I guess you get my point. Use the rivers and lakes God has given us and grow the damn rice! Remember the parable of the talents now the Kariba is drying and the rain is not falling in the south, coincidence? Ok I am not a conspiracy theorist I end there. But dear govt pump money into large scale rice farming we diversify this thing and feed our people. Send people for training here or even Japan where ECL is going.
@Layman you are very right. Zambians need to change in order to survive Dependence on mealie meal when their are substitutes like rice, potatoes, cassava – meal, millet etc will starve them. Mind you Zambias population has increased very much the last number of years while our Production levels are the same
YEAH! I USUALLY MISTAKE PARLIAMENT FORGERY CROOK NKOMBO TO MWIIMBU. PLUS I ALSO MISS REQUEST MUNTANGA. JACK IS RIGHT UNFORTUNATELY.
Yo’ Jack, greet Nkombo for me.
BUT I MAINTAIN THAT THE SOARING MEALIE MEAL PRICES ARE CAUSED BY SMUGGLING AND A LACK OF SERIOUS CONTROL POLICIES AT THE BORDERS TO CURB THE VICE.
Yak! I only hope Solar Hammer mills don’t end up like Bwezani’s mobile hospitals expedition. Yaba, ni paZed.
Ownership issues
Which Ministry does the solar Hammer mills project fall? Was it born out’a policy? Was it conceived out’a well thought out plan? Was it a by the way thought to punish Millers? Who maintains and operates Solar Hammer Mills. I mean it is a cool project but who enforces and oversees their operation?
High mealie meal prices are by…
…smuggling not failed Solar Hammers My naked eyes have witnessed direct involvement of Mealers, ShopOwners, some Poor Zambians and Elements in Leadership positions participate in the rush-sell across the borders. We are victims of our own behavior. Yes PF has failed to show assertive leadership to curb smuggling. Yes Mwiimbu is right that PF promised a mountain out’a solar hammers. There is no guarantee that even Solar Miller products would not find itself across the borders. KK’s UNIP tried to fight it, Kafupi-LPM- RB’s MMD failed. ECL’s PF is visibly failing. We literally feed the DRC, some parts of Zimbabwe, Malawi and Tanzania through smuggling. Get your facts straight and stop yapping. Though the market is ready, Zambia aint ripe to leverage. So PF boasts of enough maize…
…stock, but some parts of Zambia are hungry, so are our neighboring countries. To be food secure is to put up measures that stop the pilfering of maize mill across the borders. Build “Trump Border Walls” at our North West Border if you care. Remember a hungry person is an angry fellow.
How many millions were spent on those useless things ? That money could have build at least 10 large irrigation dams and canals , but because lungu and his gang got a 15% kick back sales commission we got mills that can only mill 8 bags on a good day of sunshine…..
now people , imagine spending more than $250 million on mills that can only mill 8 bags a day ????
Even if this is incompetence and corruption, this is not how a country can work
And many more lies to his credit. An amazing allusinator with no clear vision always blaming others including courts of law for his failures.
The only answer to all these problems we are facing is to legalise marijuana and be open to homosexuality so that we receive more aid.
Is imposter is back…he hates me so much he wants to be me how sick is that…really Sad… You have failed to get attention so why not just use someone’s alias and tarnish them no wonder we do not develop.
#Jack Mwiimbu you are an MP and you are drawing a salary (tax payers money) every month, what is your suggestion? Is it just to sit and shout at the rooftops while your constituency sleeps on empty stomach? You guys (opposition) don’t just be drunk with opposing you need to be party of the solution especially that you are being paid.
Even the so called ZCF has also failed the Zambian people and the president just watches. Fire Chirwa he’s a big let down!
All PF failures are UPNDEAD talking points. They love it, why wouldn’t they? They would rather PF boo boos more for them to gain political milage, again, why wouldn’t they? The yearn to be in Government.
Don’t get me wrong though, Mwiimbu is right. The Solar Mills cost Zambia a fortune, they are not doing the job they were brought here to do vis cushioning maize mill prices. So if that is the case, they are in essence a failed project. Not so fast? What is the Solar Hammers Supply Chain Mechanism? Who are the main players? Are they operational? Or should the instigator start running them himself? Mwendoshi nimwe. Should the initiative fail so that we can have talking points? Just wondering.
This problem is increasing because of the scarcity in the Maize supply and the solution I nothing more than investing more in agriculture.
It was burned that maize and Mealie meal shouldn’t be exported to Congo, but Citizen were still managing to export. This was a true indicator to the rapid inflation of mealie meal because the aggregate demand was too high.
It is for this reason that my fellow Zambian Citizen shouldn’t blame the PF government part some of the corrupt security personnels who failed to perform their jobd right bcz the ZNS in service who were deploid to control this couldn’t fail.
In Zambia we are too selfish to the extent of stealing our own food an blame the gvt. The economy is shuttering and the rich are get richer, the poor more poorer because the…
Have you heard of a free market…..?
That is a failed border security policy. Repucations are dire.
If all fails, build “trump like wall”.
A hungry nigga is an angry fellow, thus, watch out.
Mr Katuka a man can say anything but GOD’s wish is final.PF thought everything was going to okay when they were planning about solar mills.But they didn’t thought that GOD’s plan is far beyond human nature.
Today Zambia is facing hunger situation because of drought in affected zones of the country.The cause of droughts is neither President Lungu nor PF but nature.
Mr. katuka lets not publicly announce and politicize the situation this is time to unite in prayers for good rainfall in the next season.Let put politics aside .
We have had this problem for many years. You would think that by now we wound have systems in place. I promise you that next year we’ll be talking about the same thing.
Just imagine if that money used to import and procure 2000 Chinese Hammer mills was pumped in rural cooperatives with solar powered water pumps…Presidential Initiatives my foot…only Chinks are smiling all the way to the bank
Lazy lungu is busy eating 3 meals a day while people starve. Even gays are persecuted in Zambia. I am currently trying to help my gay cousin in Zambia to get asylum here. My supportive partner Callum is very helpful and he is my rock
Edgar Lungu and his PF/MMD party have no clue about running the country.
For them its stealing tax payers money and borrowing money from China
Scandal after Scandal since 2016
Maize is the farmers property. Not mine or yours
We all wish to make noise about maize without any voice being given to the owner of the property
Maize is not a national asset such as our copper reserves. It is privately grown and funded. It is not mine or yours.
When we open and close borders, is it fair that we do so without considering what the farmer himself wants ?
Mills have mushroomed all over Zambia. Even solar mills. Canters and trucks to transport maize are everywhere. So are fertiliser companies.
But nobody is rushing to become the actual farmer !! We all want to transport, mill, bag, retail, export, and distribute the farmers maize.
And yet some “chimp-yongo” had the audacity to accept 10 herds of cattle, as a “gift”, from prisons service…! Bamwiine bali-ndwii…ever in a drunken stupor. Zambia is cursed
A failed leadership of his inexcellence lungu nothing ever moves forward in his leadership.
How many millions were spent on those useless things ? That money could have build at least 10 large irrigation dams and canals , but because lungu and his gang got a 15% kick back sales commission we got mills that can only mill 8 bags on a good day of sunshine…..
now people , imagine spending more than $250 million on mills that can only mill 8 bags a day ????
Even if this is incompetence and corruption, this is not how a country can work
Those mills can only grind 8 bags on a good day of sunshine , now the other lying PF minister told us the other day that 6000 are employed because of the things , now how can you employ 6000 on mills that only manage to grind 8 bags on a good day ???? How do they get paid ?? Even one worker can not get paid for simply grinding 8 bags a day…..no enough.
As I said , that $250 million could have build more that 10 large dams and canals to mitigate climate change for the next 50 years ,
But the 15% sales commission was to sweet for lungu and his gang….
sonta echo waonaula pano pa zed. clueless club is stuck they dont know what to do. chasala is to make marcopolo north west south east.
this is the worst failed leadership ever in our history. All they think of is stealing, can’t take care of its citizens or take responsibility for their failures. The country is sinking in deep poverty with these self serving leaders. We getting tired of that show off costly development that has completely bankrupted us
Bitter Hakiende h and his inherited under 5 gathering without a veep has many flaws and bitterness is top of the list but sometimes he does the right thing vuvuzelas’ such as jack daniels are not members of nmc because bitter h réalisés these are cardres of the stomach macarading as mps. When grz tables increase of salaries for mps see jacks comments