.Agriculture and Livestock Minister Bob Sichinga

By MOFFAT CHAZINGWA –

GOVERNMENT has challenged consumer watch groups and the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission to jack up and play their role of protecting consumers against exploitation by millers selling mealie-meal at exorbitant prices in some parts of the country.

Agriculture and Livestock Minister Bob Sichinga said Government was not going to apply price control measures for mealie-meal other than the step taken to increase the supply of maize.

Mr Sichinga, who was commenting on the continued escalating mealie-meal prices in the country, said Government was continuing with the measures taken to offload maize on the market to help bring down the price of the staple food.

“Government has taken measures to increase supply of maize and we are continuing to do that because we are not going to control prices by other means other than by providing additional resources,” he said.

The minister said he was surprised that while the price of mealie-meal in Lusaka had dropped to somewhere around K64, millers in other parts of the country such as the Copperbelt had maintained high prices.

“I am surprised that mealie meal in Kitwe is still selling as high as K74 when in Lusaka millers have reduced to prices around K63,” he said.

Mr Sichinga said from Government’s point of view, there was no shortage of mealie-meal on the market and as such, there was no reason for prices to continue rising.

“It is now up to consumer watch groups and the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission to protect consumers by ensuring proper competition in prices of mealie-meal, otherwise Government is not going to control market prices for the staple food,” he said.

The price of mealie-meal has been steadily shooting up in many parts of Zambia despite the Government, through the Food Reserve Agency, offloading about 50,000 tonnes of maize to stabilise the price of the staple food.