EXPECT A HUGE INCREASE IN MEALIE MEAL PRICES
Zambia’s annual inflation rate climbed to a 26-month high and may continue to increase as drought in parts of the country and renewed weakness in the currency lifts prices.
Things will certainly get worse with the upwards revision of maize price by the Food Reserve Agency from K280 to K330, which means private buyers will pay above K330 price to farmers to buy the little available maize.
Consequently, we should expect a huge jump in mealie meal prices and a corresponding jump in inflation. What Mr Hakainde Hichilema and his league don’t seem to understand is that a rise in maize price, aside from mealie meal, heavily impacts all poultry and livestock products. I was shocked that the price of hay has risen from K350 per stack last year to K800 last week. The government has paid a complete blind eye to the poultry and livestock industry. These industries are slowly collapsing as farmers are pulling out due to the high cost of inputs, and one day, we will wake up to find a chicken selling for K300.
Coupled with Zesco applying for an electricity tariff increase, possible fuel hikes at the end of April, and so on and so forth. It’s depressing, to say the least.
Fred M’membe
Anyone with even the tiniest brain knows that prices will go up and we know why. The question is what is your Solution. After all you hold a PhD, sichoncho?
Very good question indeed.
I also expect Mr. Mmembe and other opposition party leaders to explain what they would do in order to make the country better for all its citizens. Unfortunately, all they do is to point out what we already know.
Nothing wrong with maize price going up if you want to complain complain about high prices of agricultural inputs.