In this country we think food is nshima – Hambwezya
Kombe Chimpinde Mataka
IN THIS country we have a problem because we think food is nshima and nshima is food, says Food Reserve Agency chairman Kelvin Hambwezya.
He informed the nation that the FRA and millers have “agreed” to sale breakfast mealie meal at K160 per 25 kilogramme at order price.
“In this country we have a problem because we think food is nshima and nshima is food. We should also eat other foods like rice. Rice is also good. I had visitors from the village the other day, my wife gave them rice. When I went home I greeted them in Tonga ‘kamwamba sena mwalya (hello, have you eaten)’ in Bemba you say ‘mushe namulya’ they said ‘awe tatulile mukwai bacitupelafye rice (no, we have not eaten. They just gave us rice)’. So we need to sensitise each other,” he said. “We should broaden our food base. We cannot be so narrow and just depend on nshima. We need to encourage the production of other crops like millet, rice. I know last time when people were told to eat sweet potatoes, it became political. But potatoes are very healthy. Very nutritious. Somebody talked about roller meal the other day. Me I eat mugaiwa not even roller meal. If you look at me I am quite healthy. I don’t eat breakfast.”
Hambwezya said Zambians should not continue crying about mealie meal when there are alternatives.
“When people tell you to eat roller meal, mugaiwa, they are not frowning upon you. It is actually healthy. It is nutritious. You will live long. For those of us that are diabetic, I am sure you are advised, is it not? So why do we get annoyed when we are told to eat roller meal? Why does it become political? Ask nutrition experts, they will tell you. In this country, the price of roller meal is K120. No one is talking about it. It is just breakfast, which is K160 or so. When you are told to eat roller meal…That is good food. Sweet potatoes, rice [ is food],” he said.
“We should not always be crying when there is mealie meal. So the media you have a critical role to play, not sensationalise issues but to educate the masses that we can broaden our food base in this country. And we stop depending on nshima only because we can be wiped out. With GMO (genetically modified) foods that are coming, it just takes one manipulation of the genetics of our maize and then the whole country starves to death when there are other alternatives. We should not always be crying when there is no maize.”
And Hambwezya called for a stop to reckless statements by politicians that maize was unavailable.
“I have seen some people, they wake up from slumber and say ‘there is no maize’ without facts,” he said. “And there are issues where we have got some weevil attacks in the depots. It is inevitable. When you have 12 million bags of maize, you don’t expect all that maize to be pest free,” he said. “But you see some district commissioners are screaming and saying there is a disaster here!”
Hambwezya said millers have now agreed with the FRA to supply their mealie meal through recommended prices of K160 for Lusaka and K170 for the Copperbelt at order price.
“Let us work together to ensure we stabilise meal prices and make sure this commodity is made available to our people. The public is urged to remain calm and not to start buying mealie meal in panic. There are very good millers amongst us. There are a few who are exporting maize and I think we will deal them individually,” he said. “It is immoral across all religions, whether you are Christian or Muslim or Hindu. There is no religion which encourages immorality.”
He said millers should work closely with government in the next eight weeks to ensure stability and normalisation of the situation.
Millers that affirmed the agreement were Roan Antelope Milling, African Milling, National Milling, FBG Milling and Nkana Milling
Hambwezya said FRA had commenced distribution of relief to districts that have experienced floods.
FRA is currently selling subsidised maize at K4,000 to millers instead of K5,300 per tonne to cushion the high mealie meal prices that has hit the country.