By CATHERINE NYIRENDA –

.LUBINDA

GOVERNMENT has directed the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) to offload one million tonnes of maize on the market in a bid to further reduce mealie-meal prices.
The FRA would be selling a 50 kilogramme bag of maize at K65 from the K75 to the millers.
The millers have in turn agreed to sell the staple food at a wholesale price of not more than K56 and K37 for a 25 kilogramme bag of breakfast and roller meal respectively.
Agriculture and Livestock Minister Given Lubinda announced in Parliament yesterday that Government decided to offload a million tonnes of maize from the reserves to sell on the local and foreign market.
The minister said retailers are therefore not expected to exceed more than K3 price margin on the commodity which should be at the maximum of K59 and K40 for breakfast and roller respectively.
“Let me clarify that K56 per 25 kilogramme of breakfast and K37 per bag of roller meal is not a uniform price but rather a maximum price, I would like to appeal to our retailers across the country to stick to the recommended retail margin of K3 per 25 Kilogramme for both roller and breakfast,” Mr Lubinda said.
Mr Lubinda said the ministry had also allowed the FRA to export maize at K80 for a 50 kilogramme bag.
By reducing prices of maize, Government would incur a loss of K221 million.
The ministry would continue to monitor the situation regarding the issue of mealie-meal prices in order to ensure that the benefit of reduction in the maize price was passed on to the consumers.
Government has also lifted the ban on the importation of wheat and scrapped off the 15 percent duty to address the commodity shortage in the country.
Mr Lubinda told the House that the country had a shortage of 150,000 tonnes of wheat prompting Government to allow the importation of 75, 000 tonnes of the commodity into the country.
Meanwhile, Government has set aside over K650 million for the rehabilitation and expansion of infrastructure at public higher learning institutions.
Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education Minister Michael Kaingu told Parliament in a ministerial statement that the move was in an effect to expand access to higher education which had been neglected for a long time.
Mr Kaingu said in addition, the ministry had also embarked on the construction of five new universities.
The five new universities include King Lewanika University in Mongu, Luapula University in Mansa, Solwezi University College of Science and Technology, Nalolo University College of Science and Mathematics and Petauke University College of Applied Arts.
Government would also upgrade Palabana University in Lusaka and complete the construction of the Paul Mushindo and Robert Kapasa Makasa Universities in Muchinga Province.