Maize meal shortage baffles grain traders

MILLERS have disclosed that the mealie meal shortage being experienced in some parts of the country is because subsidised which maize millers have been accessing from the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) has run out.

Millers now have to buy maize from the market which they said was expensive.

The Millers Association of Zambia (MAZ), Grain Traders Association of Zambia and FRA signed a tripartite agreement aimed at stabilising mealie meal prices, which had significantly increased a few months ago.

Some millers whose names have been withheld said the maize which was being accessed under the agreement had run out.

They said cost of production would drastically increase once they start buying maize from an open market and would result in hiked mealie meal prices.

“There is a shortage of mealie meal because the maize which was subsidized and being accessed under the agreement has run out. Now we have to buy maize from the open market but it’s too expensive, the production cost will be very high,” one of the millers said.

Meanwhile, Grain Traders Association of Zambia (GTAZ) spokesperson Chambuleni Simwinga said maize was available on the market but it was shocking that millers were failing to access it for their production.

He said in an interview yesterday the millers were creating an impression that they were broke that was why they were unable to buy the commodity.

Mr Simwinga said the country had enough maize grain which would sustain the country until May this year.

“We have heard our National Stocks Committee saying that we have sufficient maize that will last up to early May this year.

“Is it that they are finding the maize to be expensive on the market or what because maize is very much available on the market.

“The only thing which the millers are supposed to do is to access maize on the market to sustain their production. So they need to say whether they have no money to buy maize from the traders,” Mr Simwinga said.