MILLERS EXPORT 15, 000 TONNES MEALIE MEAL

By OLIVER SAMBOKO ABOUT 15, 000 tonnes of mealie meal has so far been exported to the regional market under the export arrangement between Government and the Millers Association of Zambia (MAZ). MAZ president Andrew Chintala said the programme was progressing very well and in line with the provisions of the MOU signed between the association and Government. “The thing is that the exports have not affected local supply and prices still remain stable as a result we will be meeting stakeholders to see if we can increase the exports to accommodate other millers that are not on the current list but have expressed interest,” Mr Chintala said. “The mealie meal export programme is running efficiently to ensure continued stable supply of mealie on the domestic market,” he said. Mr Chintala said according to the MOU, the programme would run up to April 30, this year when a review would be done to determine the effectiveness of the agreement. He said MAZ and Government had put in place a monitoring system to ensure that the domestic market was not affected by the exports. “We have put in measures to ensure stable prices of mealie meal on the domestic market and also ensure that there are no shortages of the commodity,” he said. Mr Chintala said MAZ was happy with the way participating millers have performed in terms of adhering to the set terms and conditions.