Africa-Press – Zambia. Government has called on millers countrywide to exercise patriotism and avoid exploiting Zambians through inflated costs of mealie meal.
Vice President Mutale Nalumango says the government is keen to work with the private sector, however, private millers should be reasonable in setting mealie meal prices.
The Vice President said this in parliament today, in response to Kantanshi Member of Parliament, Anthony Mumba, who wanted to know what the government was doing to arrest the escalating cost of mealie meal.
The Vice President attributed the rising prices of mealie meal to the new floor price of maize which the government set at K280 to support small scale farmers.
Mrs. Nalumango said in an effort to make a profit, millers were adding an extra cost to the mealie meal which is being passed on to consumers.
However, the Vice President said it was unjustified for millers to take the cost of mealie to as high as K300 per bag.
The Vice President has since called on traders engaged in the production of mealie meal to be mindful and remember that the ultimate customers are the ordinary Zambians who should not be exploited.
Currently, mealie meal retail prices are averaging around K150 and K300 per 25 kilogram bag, countrywide.
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