President Edgar Lungu says his administration is resolved to addressing discrepancies in the mealie meal price more especially in rural areas.
The Head of State said this during the ground breaking ceremony for the construction of milling plants under the presidential milling plants initiative at the University of Zambia Agricultural Technology Demonstration Center (ATDC) in Chongwe.
President Lungu has disclosed that 39 out of 50 milling plants in Zambia are located along the line of rail in cities and towns.
President Lungu says people cannot continue to be denied such facilities on account of where they stay.
The Head of State disclosed that the project will be undertaken in 2 phases, of which 3 plants will be constructed in the first phase and the rest in the second.
He said the projects, once completed are going to help mitigate some of the challenges the rural communities have been facing in finding markets for their produce, transport costs and they will also help reduce the price of the commodity.
President Lungu said it does not make sense for the country’s staple food to be expensive when it is produced locally.
He said the three (3) plants that will be constructed in the first phase of the project will have a combined maximum production capacity of five hundred and twenty (520) tonnes per day, which will translate into Ten thousand four hundred by 25 kilogram (10,400 /25 kg) bags of Millie meal per day to take approximately 21 months to become operational.
“The 13 milling plants whose construction I am launching today will be located in Kaoma-Western province, Monze and Mazabuka-Southern province, Chipata-Eastern Province, Mpika-Muchinga Province, and Solwezi-North Western province. Other plants will be situated in Mumbwa and Kapiri Mposhi-Central province, Luanshya and Kalulushi-Copperbelt province, Mansa-Luapula province, Chongwe-Lusaka province and Kasama in Northern province,” he said.
President Lungu further indicated that 6 out of the 13 milling plants will be managed by the Zambia National Service (ZNS).
“It is hoped that their discipline, professionalism and capability to operate in any type of environment, will surely trigger economic growth and assist government to attain stability in the pricing of the nation’s staple food,” he added.