UPND national chairperson Mutale Nalumango says government must immediately act to reduce the skyrocketing mealie meal prices in order to alleviate the suffering of Zambians.

In a statement, Thursday, Nalumango said the price of the commodity, which was now averaging between K140 and K180 per 25Kg breakfast bag in some places, was too high for ordinary citizens.

“The PF must reduce the skyrocketing price of mealie meal now to alleviate the suffering of the Zambian masses. The high prices of Zambia’s staple meal, mealie meal, is an indictment on Edgar Lungu and PF government’s inability to effectively manage the Zambian economy. Mealie meal is now fetching at K160 for a 25Kg bag. This price is acutely high and unaffordable to the majority of Zambians who are wallowing in abject poverty. It’s saddening to note that instead of improving the livelihoods of the Zambian masses, the PF government continues to focus on enriching themselves at the expense of the poor Zambians,” Nalumango stated.

“We, as the UPND, have on several occasions advised the PF to improve the agricultural sector and focus on food security, but they have clearly centered their attention on less important matters that have no positive impact on the Zambian populace. We recently advised them to declare a national food disaster because of the lack of food in the country, but they have elected to bury their heads in the sand and pay a blind eye to the alarming hunger situation in our country. They have a duty to come up with a solution to this serious issue of the expensive price of mealie meal.”

Nalumango, a former Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, added that government was clueless about fixing the challenges that affected Zambians, adding that the economy would continue to deteriorate as long as the country had a visionless leader like President Lungu.

“The poor people of Zambia need to realize that Edgar Lungu and the PF government have adversely failed to manage this country and improve the livelihoods of the Zambian masses. They are vividly clueless about fixing the challenges affecting our people and things will continue to deteriorate as long as we have a visionless leader, such as Edgar Lungu. The PF leaders are paid to fix the challenges that the citizenry of this country face. Stop campaigning and cannibalizing the Constitution. Fix the country and serve the will and wishes of the Zambian people,” urged Nalumango.