MEALIE MEAL SHORTAGES, IMPORTS
When they were being advised to stop maize and mealie meal exports Mr Hakainde Hichilema and his UPND government didn’t want to listen or heed the advice.
Their argument was that we had more than enough stocks of maize. And that exports will encourage farmers to produce more maize.
But they forgot that maize production in Zambia is not so much driven by market conditions or demand. It is much more driven by how much government pumps into inputs.
Today we have a shortage of mealie meal they initially tried to deny and conceal but can nolonger mask or pretend doesn’t exist.
Today they are asking the same businessmen they were giving export permits to export maize and mealie to import mealie meal from the same countries they sold maize to. What type of prudent economic management is this?
They appear confident but they don’t seem to know where they are headed!
Fred M’membe
President of the Socialist Party
