Chilubi Member of Parliament has attributed the hike in Roller mealie meal prices in Chilubi of the Northern Province of Zambia to lack of a local producers/supplier within Chilubi island making available suppliers to transport it through the lake using passenger boats as they do not have cargo boards that they could use to transport mealie meal.
Speaking in an exclusive interview, Chilubi Member of Parliament, Mulenga Fube, highlighted the surge in roller mealie meal prices of about K400 in Chilubi Island, attributing it to the absence of local suppliers and the high cost of transporting the commodity to the island.
Fube emphasized that the lack of a local producer in Chilubi has led to a heavy reliance on private business entities transporting mealie meals from distant locations such as Lusaka and the Copperbelt.
Fube expressed concerns about the difficulties faced by the people of Chilubi in accessing mealie meal, pointing out the absence of ZNS mealie meal in the area.
He urged the government to intervene swiftly to ensure that the residents of Chilubi have sufficient access to mealie meals and are properly catered for.
“The hike in these prices of mealie meal is because one, we do not have a local producer here in Chilubi as the local producer we had, it became very difficult for them to do business because of the high cost of transportation as well as just getting of raw materials like Maize was difficult causing the business not to survive and be sustained. Although the machinery is still there” He alluded.
Fube further alluded that people of Chilubi are only able to access mealie meals through private business entities who are getting it from as far as Lusaka and the Copperbelt bringing it to Chilubi as it is rare for them to get it from places like Samfya, Mansa, Kasama and Luwingu.
“There is no ZNS mealie meal here in Chilubi, no one is supplying ZNS mealie meal in Chilubi a thing I have also spoken with the ministry of defense,” He added.
Meanwhile, Fube has called on the Government to quickly come on board so that people of Chilubi can be able to access enough mealie meals and be catered for properly.
