Africa-Press – Zambia. The Zambia National Service has commissioned the ZNS Industrial Milling Plant in Monze which is expected to lower the price of mealie meal. Speaking during the commissioning, Minister of defence Ambrose Lufuma says it is unacceptable to have fluctuating mealie meal prices.
Mr. Lufuma has reassured the nation that government will ensure the prices of essential commodities are kept within the reach of low income earners. The Milling plant has a capacity of producing more than 5,000 by 25 Kilograms breakfast meal, more than 3000 by 25 Kilogram roller meal and more than 1000 by 25 kilogram of maize bran per day.
The facility is expected to provide 200 jobs for civilians in Monze District Southern Province. In 2019 President Edgar Lungu flagged off the commencement of the construction of 13 milling plants in various districts across the country under the presidential milling plants initiative.
The former Head of state said that this was a great milestone in the actualization of the Patriotic Front government’s pro-poor policy aimed at ensuring that the lives of the majority of Zambians in the rural areas are bearable.
Speaking at the ground breaking ceremony for the construction of milling plants at the University of Zambia Agricultural technology demonstration center in Chongwe, President Lungu said the construction works of the milling plants will be conducted in two phases and will be carried out by china machinery industry construction group incorporated.
He said under phase one of this project, three milling plants will be constructed including the one to be put up at the University of Zambia agricultural technology demonstration centre. President Lungu said the other two have been earmarked for Monze district in southern province and Mpika district in Muchinga province.
He said government has put in place this initiative to take the production of mealie meal and stock feed to the door step of the subsistence farmer, who is the major producer of maize in the country.
President Lungu said despite the subsistence farmer’s hard work to produce the maize, it is sad to note that they accesses mealie meal and stock feed at a very high price.
He said other than reducing the cost of production for Zambia’s staple food, the positioning of the milling plants in some of the rural areas will create job opportunities for the local people who will be employed to work in the plants.
President Lungu said in addition, the milling plants will offer an alternative ready market for the maize which is produced in the respective areas and will resolve the challenge of people looking far and wide for a market for their products.
He said transport costs will ultimately reduce making mealie meal and other maize products affordable to the communities within the vicinity of milling plants.
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