By JULIUS PHIRI –

CARGIL Zambia will establish a maize milling plant in Chipata District to mitigate the erratic supply of mealie-meal in Eastern Province.
Provincial Deputy Permanent Secretary Zechariah Luhanga said in Chipata that, the multi million Kwacha plant which Cargill would establish was expected to be functional by the end of this year.
“We shall witness the establishment of a milling plant by Cargill Zambia. This plant is expected to be functional by the end of 2014,” Mr Luhanga said.
He said the establishment of the milling plant would yield positive trends to the people of the province who have been lacking the facility.
“Even as Government we have resolved to grow the economy by at least 50 per cent in the next two years. This target is attainable because of the already embarked upon robust  infrastructure development in various sectors of the economy,” Mr Luhanga said.
He said the province would have an increase in the power supply schedule from the current 66kilovotts (kv) to 330 kv after the ongoing upgrade was completed in 2015 by TBEA of China.
He said Government had not seen much of the processing industry in the province despite the good production.
“Such power supply will not be a constraint to industrial development,” he said.
Meanwhile Eastern Province Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Thomas Mtonga has praised the Government for the infrastructure development that would see ZESCO enhance power supply to the region.