THE continued shortage of mealie meal in Petauke is scandalous for the reasons being given do not make economic sense.Petauke Independent Member of Parliament Emmanuel Jay Banda says the situation is critical and blames the Ministry of Agriculture.The shortage was initially blamed on smugglers taking the mealie meal into neighbouring Malawi.But in reality, the shortage was due to the blanket ban imposed by the government that discriminated against the private sector from dealing in mealie meal in the Eastern Province.The government, through the Minister of Agriculture, Mr Reuben Mtolo Phiri claimed that the private millers were smuggling mealie meal into neighbouring Malawi hence the ban.The irony of the ban was that private millers were not even allowed to take their produce to the region, which actually contradicts the country’s liberal economic policies.Moreover, it was only after the Millers Association of Zambia president, Mr Andrew Chintala raised that the government tacitly had a hand in the […]
MEALIE MEAL POLITICS
