Manufacturers decry govt plans to import mealie meal, fear it will hurt local millers

The Zambia Association of Manufacturers (ZAM) is concerned with government’s decision to import mealie meal into the country as it will negatively affect local millers.

Importing mealie meal after the bumper harvests Zambia has enjoyed these past years is injustice to the value addition agenda that the country has, ZAM Chief Executive Officer, Muntanga Lindunda said.

“At this moment, the government needs to ensure that the millers are given adequate maize from the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) in order to produce enough mealie meal for the local economy, and halt exports of raw maize,” Lindunda said in a statement issued on Friday.

She stated that envisioned in the Zambia Vision 2030 was the country’s desire to become a middle-income developing country which is driven by the manufacturing industry.

According to Lindunda, a key feature of this goal was to add value to Zambia’s raw materials, more especially from the agriculture sector.

She however regretted that thousands of tonnes of maize are currently being exported from Zambia to countries such as Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo with zero value added and therefore not substantially benefiting the economy as it already stood.

“Additionally, as much as exporting maize brings the much-desired forex to Zambia, local food security also needs to be maintained. Therefore, exporting maize for value addition outside Zambia’s borders, whilst importing maize to soothe the ongoing shortages,” she said.

In a letter dated April 4, 2023 from the Minister of Agriculture to the Zambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry, government expressed its intention to import mealie meal to satisfy the overwhelming demand that the country is facing.

To quicken the process, Agriculture Minister, Ruben Phiri Mtolo, expressed that government would on its side quicken the issuance of import permits and waive the import surcharge that is meant to protect the local industry.

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