HH Commits To Reducing Mealie Meal Prices

UPND President Hakainde Hichilema claims it is possible to reduce current mealie meal prices within one season. According to the opposition leader this could be achieved by “simply addressing the corruption in procurement of inputs on the one hand and having an efficient transport system.”

“On the cost of Mealie Meal, we will tackle this from two angles, reduce price of inputs and increase yields per hectare,” Hichilema writes.

“There is a lot of wastage and corruption in the procurement of inputs especially fertilizer. We will tackle this to reduce fertilizer prices. Farmers will be given new techniques so that they increase their yield per hectare using the same amount of inputs,” he continues.

Hichilema has also said that the system where fertilizer going to Chipata is transported from Mozambique, into Lusaka then back to Chipata does not make sense.

The UPND leader has criticised the PF’s management of the economy, which he claims has resulted in inflation, unemployment and rising cost of living, meaning many more citizens are struggling to put food on the table.

In addition to tackling mealie meal prices HH has also shared his thoughts on the importance of value addition in agriculture and more broadly the importance of economic diversification with a focus on investing in high value crops such as cashew nuts and soybeans in the agriculture sector, as well as expansion of manufacturing capabilities which are associated with job creation.