By Agness Changala
Eastern Province minister Peter Phiri says people are queuing up for mealie-meal at his wife’s shop because it is cheaper as it is only going at K300.
And Phiri has revealed that the Zambia National Service (ZNS) will start milling Eagles mealie meal to be distributed to all districts in view of the shortage of the commodity being experienced in the area.
The minister also said the government is doing everything possible to avoid reaching alarming levels of Cholera cases, saying as of Tuesday, the cumulative cases stood at 47 in the Province with three admissions only.
Speaking to Daily Revelation on the shortage of mealie meal in Eastern Province, Phiri said the smuggling of the commodity into neighboring Malawi has escalated this situation.
He said a 25 kg bag of mealie meal is costing between 400 and 500 and they are making profits from such sales.
“The basic situation that is escalating this issue of mealie meal shortages is the issue of smuggling into Malawi because everyone has taken it as an opportunity to make a bit of money from the smuggling. You can imagine the cost of a 25 kg bag of mealie meal in Malawi, I hear, I am not sure, but I hear it’s fetching around K400 to K500,” Phiri said. “So now you can see the difference if one takes a bag of mealie meal or two if they get from Zambia at K300 or K320, they take into the neighboring country and they sell it for 450, already they are walking away with K100. So that’s a very good profit for our people. That is what is causing all that so we as a government have tried to put up some measures in terms of regulating shipping of mealie meal from Lusaka.”
Phiri said his wife owns a shop in his Constituency where they experienced queues of people trying to buy a cheaper commodity which he said she sells at an affordable price.
“But nevertheless, yes that challenge is there, I am not pretty sure that people can go to a member of parliament and all of them are asking for mealie meal or food from them. Even me, I am an MP here, we have got the same situation. If you saw on social media, I think the PF blogs, they posted a situation of yesterday where my wife is running a shop right in my constituency where we had mealie meal and there were queues of people trying to buy a cheaper commodity because we give it at an affordable price,” he said after being told that Lundazi member of parliament Brenda Nyirenda said people were flocking to her residence crying and asking for food as the situation was dire.
Nyirenda also said Lundazi needed relief maize to be distributed.
Asked how much a 25kg bag of mealie meal was costing in his wife’s shop, Phiri said the commodity costs between K290 and K300, depending on the price she gets it from either in Chipata or anywhere, while the rest were selling theirs between K350 and K380.
He said the generals from ZNS already visited Eastern Province to look into the production of cheaper mealie meal.
“We are starting to mill the Eagle mealie meal in Eastern Province very soon. Actually if things go well, by the end of this week or next week. Early next week, we should be milling the eagle mealie meal that will be distributed to all the districts at the same price that people are buying in Lusaka for K230 and K220 somewhere around there,” Phiri said. “It will be within that range. There shall be no price that will go beyond and we have to make sure that we put stringent measures especially in terms of our porous borders in Malawi and Mozambique where we have to make sure that we curb the smuggling. Otherwise the situation is not as bad as you are hearing it from those that are not in government.”
He said the administration was trying to contain the situation and that it would normalise by next week.
Phiri also said the government already brought in a truck of Eagle mealie meal from Lusaka which was sold right in Chipata and that many people bought the cheaper commodity.
“But unfortunately as usual, some people came in and they wanted to smuggle in …and it’s very unfortunate my dear, you see what happens, they use the poor ladies in the society to buy the same commodity for those that have money and they start sending the commodity across the country,” Phiri said. “They are paid a K20 or K30 just to get a bag then they give it away. So those are scenarios that we are going to … but I can rest assure you that we are doing everything possible, you know the President had to cut short his holiday because of Cholera which is happening and we are not resting, we are all running around to make sure that we stabilize the issue of our stable food.”
And the minister said in Eastern Province, the situation in terms of Cholera is still okay as most cases recorded are from Lusaka from those in transit.
“We have got some indications in Petauke and Nyimba and these cases are coming from Lusaka. Those that are in transit you find that when they drop in Nyimba because that is the third entry point after Luangwa, so the first town you get is Nyimba and Petauke, so cumulatively as of yesterday (Tuesday) we have 47 cases and they were only three admissions as of yesterday so we doing everything possible to ensure that the numbers of cases should not escalate to alarming levels,” said Phiri.
Phiri said government officials were going round the communities sensitising people and had engaged the councils in all districts to make sure that their respective areas are clean.
Caption on picture: Scores of Malambo residents are seen queuing for cheaper mealie-meal at the shop Eastern Province minister Peter Phiri says belongs to his wife in Malambo, where he is also member of parliament.
