Distribution of mealie meal in Eastern Province, other areas set to resume

Private millers have signalled that they will start distributing mealie meal in Eastern Province and other affected parts of Zambia before the end of this week, curtailing the shortage of the commodity experienced in those areas.

The shortage, according to the millers, had been due to restrictions put in place by government.

Luangwa and Chililabombwe are part of the areas hit with the shortage of mealie meal in the past few months.

But Millers Association of Zambia (MAZ) president, Andrew Chintala, in a telephone interview on Wednesday claimed that progress had been made with its discussions with government which would result in mealie meal distribution before the end of this week.

Read more: Govt’s regulations creating shortage of mealie meal in Eastern Province, say Millers

“We expect that this week we should be able to resume the distribution of the movement into the province, form our side we have done everything possible and we are all ready.

“I am very confident that we should start moving the commodity into the province before the end of this week. We are just waiting that once that schedule is released and should be able to see that the situation will be contained in the next few days,” Chintala indicated.

Chintala expressed millers readiness to distribute mealie meal in the affected areas as soon as the schedule was concluded by the Ministry of Agriculture and the task force for food security.

He hoped that the schedule would not be as complicated as before, saying there were a number of issues to be attended to for it to be adjusted.

“In terms of the stock movement document, we have had very positive discussions with government and they appreciate that the challenges in the Eastern circuit was as a result of the same because it took them long for them to be able to facilitate the movement into that province,” Chintala said.

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