A recently installed solar milling plant in Kasama
The opposition UPND has challenged the PF government to clearly state where it has started offloading mealie meal on the market in Kasama district at a price of K45 per 25kg bag.
President Edgar Lungu recently announced that the Government in collaboration with Zambia Cooperative Federation (ZCF) are milling and selling a 25 Kg bag of mealie meal at K 45 in Solwezi and Kasama, thanks to the newly acquired and installed solar milling plants.
But UPND vice-president for administration Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba says he and the residents of Kasama are not aware of any solar milling plant that has been commissioned in the area.
Mwamba notes that the current Food Reserve Agency floor price is K75 per 50kg bag of maize and wonders where ZCF is sourcing cheap maize to produce mealie meal for sell at such a low price.
“It is a known fact that the Food Reserve Agency has set a floor price of K75 a 50 kg bag of maize. It is also common knowledge that maize prices from farmers and commodity brokers are within the FRA price or even higher,” Mwamba said in a statement posted on his Facebook page.
“It then leaves one to wonder, the source of the maize that ZCF are supposedly milling and selling at this price. It also makes you wonder whether, there has been policy shift that Government has decided not to inform the nation.
“The question is where has ZCF sourced cheap maize? Are they buying below the market price or taking advantage of the small scale farmers, whom they are supposed to assist to increase their current production levels?” he asked.
The former Kasama Central parliamentarian has accused the PF government of lying to the people in a bid to score political points especially with a by-election looming in the area.
“This pronouncement has been made to hoodwink people, particularly in Kasama, because they wish to increase or enhance their chances as PF in case of a parliamentary by-election. However, this is not sustainable over a long period, especially in a broke economy such as ours.
“The people of Kasama and Zambia have seen through your lies and know to what extent you would go to just cling to power and the total disregard for the use of tax payers money,” Mwamba stated.
Meanwhile, UPND Lukashya Constituency youth secretary, Kellyson Sampa, has charged that his party has no idea whatsoever as to where President Lungu is claiming the ZCF is selling Mealie meal at K45 in Kasama.
Another UPND member, Elizabeth Goma, told Radio Mano News that reports that ZCF had started selling mealie meal in Kasama at K45 per 25kg bag are misleading.