Hope for cheaper mealie meal vanishes – over 76% ZNS maize damaged
The cheaper mealie meal Zambia National Service – ZNS has been providing to vulnerable citizens is expected to reduce following the revelation that about 76 percent of the crops managed by ZNS have been damaged by the dry spells.
The Zambia National Service (ZNS) has revealed that out of the 1,455 hectares of maize put to crop by ZNS, 1,096 hectares of maize about 76 percent have been destroyed by the droughts leaving only 359 hectares.
With over 76% of their crops affected, it is feared that production of cheaper mealie meals, which is vital for vulnerable citizens, will plummet if immediate measures are not taken.
Recently, President Hakainde Hichilema declared the prolonged drought the country has been experiencing as a national disaster and emergency necessitated by the destruction of crops that affected over a million of households countrywide.
Speaking during a media briefing monitored by the Zambia Business Times – ZBT, ZNS commander lieutenant general Maliti Solochi said Solochi said that from the 359 hectares spared, very little to nothing is expected to be harvested.
He further revealed that revealed that of the 120 hectares of early maize put to crop at ZNS Munsakamba in Mkushi, ZNS expects to harvest about 960 tons of maize.
Solochi therefore revealed that ZNS will be undertaking short-term and medium-term interventions such as suspending the growing of wheat among other measures to heed the declaration of drought as a national disaster and emergency.
“ZNS had put to crop 1,455 hectares of maize out of which 1,096 hectares is completely destroyed with very little to nothing expected to be harvested. This leaves only 359 ha where we are likely to harvest some cobs. 120 hectares of early maize was put to crop at ZNS Munsakamba in Mkushi from which we envisage to harvest about 960 tons,” he said.
“In heeding to the timely declaration of drought as a national disaster and emergency, the Zambia national services will this year suspend the growing of wheat in order to… Follow the link to read the full article
Hakainde you see now what is happening. What is your next “clever” move?
I honestly think Hakainde should have been minister in charge of Livestock, not the economy.
Vote wisely in 2026.
This is a simple problem. Accountability demands that heads must roll. All those who didnt do what they were supposed to do must be dealt with.
As you said ba Kateka HH, “NO sacred cows”….for too long people have abused and wasted public resources. Mrs Sokoni told us of ineffective public servants at cabinet office warming chairs and a burden to the state coffers. If the is zero value addition, there no utility let them go to their private ventures and lets see if they will survive.
No sacred cows..no bayama….no transfers when Mukula is still being pilfered, being ZNS doesnt mean you are untouchable…
HaaMulenga,
Have you noticed that Hakainde no longer complains about Mukula being smuggled? Do you remember that truck full of mukula that crashed during the time Hakainde removed all checkpoints in the country?
Why are you praise singers quick to blame everyone else except Hakainde? Have you been brain washed?
Indigo I find some of your statements troubling…and its Mulenga for you own information. There are Mulengas in the Southern Province and among the Bemba, just as there Mwendas among the easterns, Westerns, Southerns and Northerns….which I find troubling about you. A tribalist.
It honestly needs to stop. Within your own family there are members marriage beyond tribal lines yet you seem too focused on what tribe this one is, instead of ability. You lose objectivity
HH is the head of state. He has cabinet and provincial leadership and in a democracy you lead through people. In this case, I refer to HH’s own statement that he made regarding folks that want to hide behind “the Uniform”. In the Mukula case, ZNS officers were/have been found in a comprised state, and an effort to curb the vice was to do a six month rotation of those manning road blocks to avoid collusion with criminals. This was attempted within the Police and its not working as we have seen within ZNS; given the mealie meal saga.
But in contrast to the previous regime its clear that government acts on issues. A case in point in the Kalomo FRA shed report. That was clear negilegence on those running FRA. We had heard whispers of maize stocks dwindling within FRA, we saw the same HH acy swiftly with changes from the Board Chair to the Chief Excecutive who replaced Chola Kafwabulula. So please when youre being critical, there is a stark contrast between HH and ECL. He acts.
We may not read it in the headlines, but another example is at the Ministry of Mines. How many PSs have been fired under UPND? Two or three. Why? In that case we were publicly informed of what led to their dismissal.
So indigo like Mwamba stop being an alarmist, crying wolf about HH without being critical about ECL shows how much you lack objectivity. Labling me as a tonga because I support this government in its general effort to uplift the state of the lives and economy by envoking us to be productive, than patroage does not make me a tonga. Am bemba but Zambian as my own children dont speak a word of bemba because to me that is not their identity. Their identity is that they are Zambian. Tribe is not who they are, they know and understand what it means to be a Zambian and have been to every part of this country lived there understand the languages but cant speak anyone Zambian language fluently, and that doesnt mean they are not Zambian. So please save the tribalism for people that live off politician, that have failed to be anything more in their lives, that dont have a mind of their own or stand on their own two feet without showering praises on Lungu who by his own admission has no vision and therefore can not lead this country.
UKA is his last ditch effort to lead but you can even see, the calibre of people in that grouping. They are people who dont know who they are and what they stand for.
I am a Zambian. I believe in God, I also believe that my fellow man should have every opportunity to be the best person possible as God intended, in doing so; no man has any right to stop my fellow human being in that endevour as long as that person is not infriging on the rights of others and is acting within the confines of the law. Mutual respect included. I wonder what you believe in Indigo. Cause all I read from you is how perfect a being Lungu is and is beyond reproach. Get a life sir! Before God calls and you look back at your life and realise how pathetic you have squandered it. My life is an endownment from God, when I see leaders like HH; he may not be perfect but I recognise his imperfections and appreciate his efforts, at least. And Identify with his values, not the non factual innuendos and lables that you want to place. I was there during Privatization before & after. Followed closely the goings on. Why? It had a bearing on the future of my children. No system is perfect bwana. But I appreciate the overall efforts humans made at the time to change a situation that was bad from going to the “dogs” ZCCM was losing $one million dollars everyday. Even kaunda recognised that. And if because your life at the “club” ground to a halt because change. Its a sign that you lived in a state that was deviod of reality. Get a life before God takes it. Cause you will have to account for it Indigo….