Mealie-meal prices go up in Mwinilunga

ACTING Mwinilunga District Commissioner Mwiya Tulani has expressed concern over the escalating prices of mealie meal in the area.

Mr Tulani said the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) has since been requested to offload white maize to members of the general public at a cheaper price to curtail the high cost of mealie meal.

He said the escalating price of mealie meal was worrying as most people could not afford to buy the commodity.

“Yes, it has come to the attention of my office that the price of mealie meal in the district has skyrocketed thereby making it very difficult for our people to access the commodity,” Mr Tulani said this in an interview with the Daily Nation yesterday.

A check by the Daily Nation in some retail shops in the central business district found a 25 kilogramme bag of breakfast of mealie meal selling between K 110.00 and K120.00 while roller meal costing between K90.00 and K95.

Mr Tulani said FRA would soon be offloading white maize on the market to members of the general public as community sale at K111.00 per 50 kilogramme bag and at K95.00 for public institution like hospitals and schools.

He has since appealed to members of the general public interested in buying the maize through community sales to register with his office and with their local leadership.

Mr Tulani reiterated government’s commitment towards alleviating hunger at household levels hence the move to ensure that people have access to affordable maize.

He has also urged residents to support cooperatives that were running solar milling plants which Government recently installed in order to curtail the rising cost of mealie meal.