By Isaac Zulu
The Zambia National Service is set to start producing mealie meal at a Kapiri Mposhi private milling plant.
Sources have disclosed to Daily Revelation Newspaper that the Zambia National Service intends to start producing its relatively cheap mealie meal at a Kapiri Mposhi’s Chimsoro Milling plant on a lease basis.
The sources at the plant have revealed that some senior Zambia National Service officials in charge of milling plants visited Chimsoro Milling plant to ascertain the viability of the facility.
“Actually, some senior ZNS officers from the department responsible for managing Zambia National Service milling plants visited the milling plant about two weeks ago. They have been engaging the Chimsoro Milling management and the Chimsoro Group of Companies on the need for ZNS to start using the plant for milling of cheap mealie meal,” the source explained. “And the recommendation for the ZNS to rent the Chimsoro Milling plant is purely based on the fact that the Kapiri Mposhi’s Milling plant has the necessary equipment, with the capacity to produce enough quantity of mealie meal at a relatively low cost; which in turn, is envisaged to lead to the reduction of the price of the staple food.”
The source said the rationale to engage some private milling plants with the capacity to produce mealie meal in large quantities is aimed at mitigating the skyrocketing mealie meal prices in the country.
“So far, there are serious engagements involving senior ZNS officers and management at Chimsoro Milling Company. Both ZNS Command and Chimsoro Milling plant are eager to enter into an agreement to that effect,” said the source.
Chimsoro Milling Company belongs to prominent Zambian commercial farmer and businessman Costain Chilala, who happens to be the chairman of the Chimsoro Group of Companies.
Efforts to get a comment from Zambia National Service Commandant General Maliti Solochi failed, as his phone went unanswered.
