🟣 MEALIE MEAL, SUGAR, COOKING OIL PRICES DROP AS MANUFACTURERS RESPOND TO GOVT
A fresh round of price reductions has been announced by the Zambia Association of Manufacturers, with mealie meal, sugar, and cooking oil among the products named. ZAM said on Tuesday that over 30 member companies have reduced prices after Commerce, Trade and Industry Minister Chipoka Mulenga pushed market players to lower costs.
ZAM President Muhammad Umar said the association views the price adjustments as a response to improved macroeconomic conditions that the group highlighted, including the kwacha’s appreciation and easing inflationary pressures.
ZAM said the purpose is straightforward: reductions must be seen by consumers where it matters most, at the shelf and the checkout.
ZAM provided examples of the price changes. It said Delicious Milling has reduced breakfast mealie meal under the Milling brand from K300 to K260. The association also said a 25-kilogram bag of breakfast mealie meal from Granny’s has been reduced by K300. Cooking oil from Mount Meru was listed among the reduced items, alongside other product lines the association named as part of the broader adjustments.
The association also cited reductions in areas outside basic food, mentioning products such as soya pieces, milk products, and irrigation pipes. ZAM said more companies are expected to issue reductions as they respond to the same call, and it urged retailers to pass on the cuts to consumers rather than keeping the benefit within the supply chain.
ZAM said it will continue engaging government on constraints that still affect costs, while backing national efforts aimed at reducing the cost of living.