Kalomo District Food Security Task Force has observed with dismay over the continuous trend by some local retail outlets, selling both the Zambia Correctional Service, (ZCS) and Zambia National Service, (ZNS) mealie-meal brands, at exorbitant prices to the community.
District Commissioner, Joshua Sikaduli has since directed designated committee members to ensure that shop owners that are not following the directive to sell Kalonga and Eagles mealie-meal at stipulated retail prices are cautioned.
This follows complaints of exploitation from members of the community over inflated prices of the two mealie-meal brands by some local traders, who are reported to be selling a 25 kilogramme bag of breakfast meal at K280.00 while roller meal of the same quantity is pegged at K230.00.
“It is unfortunate that some traders are taking advantage of this situation to exploit people in an event when this mealie-meal is finished in our official designated outlets. However, we cannot sit idle to see our people being exploited, I urge our committee members to control the situation,” charged Mr Sikaduli.
The stipulated retail price for both Kalonga and Eagles brands in official outlets is K240.00 for breakfast while roller meal should be at K190.00 per 25 kilogramme bag.
In its last sitting, the District Food Security Task Force Committee resolved to have about 10 local traders that would be recommended to buy the mealie-meal at wholesale price from the two security wings’ milling plants and sell the commodity at the stipulated affordable retail prices to the community.
Meanwhile, the Environmental Conservation Trust, (ECT), a project implementing partner engaged by the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit, (DMMU) to distribute the first consignment of 200 metric tonnes of relief food among the hunger affected in Kalomo, has finished giving out rations to the targeted households in all the 20 wards of the district.
ECT Executive Director, Jalios Siakondo said his organisation has undertaken the exercise in accordance with the guidelines set in the contract with the DMMU.
The initial 200 metric tonnes relief food supply to Kalomo saw each ward receiving 200 by 50 kilogramme of white maize with each identified affected household getting a 50 kilogramme bag each.
80 percent of the relief food is food for work while 20 per cent is for the vulnerable persons who are not recipients of the Social Cash Transfer funds.
The Food Reserve Agency, (FRA) has also created 12 outskirt satellite depots in the district where people can buy maize, through community sales.
