ZAMBIANS HAVE REDUCED EATING NSHIMA BECAUSE OF RISING COST OF MEALIE MEAL – ZICA
By Correspondent
THE Zambia Consumer Association (ZACA) has observed that the rise in mealie meal prices has led many Zambians to reduce their daily intake of nshima.
Organisation executive secretary, Juba Sakala notes that in an effort to cope with the financial strain, citizens are now reducing their daily meals from three meals to one in a day.
“A family of five is barely managing to have three decent meals in a day,” he said.
Sakala says the escalating mealie meal prices is strangling many families as a result of the increase in production costs.
“The entire supply chain, from maize cultivation to transportation, electricity, and water tariffs, has contributed to the elevated costs. And this is chocking many families.”
Sakala has since urged the UPND government to address the high production costs, saying leadership and responsibility are urgently required to tackle the matter.
He emphasized the need for comprehensive management of farming inputs, whether through the Farming Inputs Support Programs (FISP) or the private sector.
And Wesley Miyanda, a Governance and Human Rights Advocate, criticized the timing of the government’s decision to transform the Zambia National Service (ZNS) into a business entity responsible for maize import and export.
Miyanda further questioned the initiative of exporting maize when the domestic demand for the commodity remains high.
“The government needs to navigate the maize export situation thoughtfully to dispel any doubts about the origin of the exported maize,” Miyanda said.