via Maize meal 12% price hike looms – Southern Eye 9 February 2014
ZIMBABWE’S millers have predicted a 12% hike in the price of maize meal after the government arbitrarily re-instated the Grain Marketing Board’s (GMB) monopoly on grain procurement and banned private maize imports.
This follows a maize deal the government signed with a South African grain trader, for the supply of more than 100 000 metric tonnes of none genetically modified white maize.
The private millers have been directed to buy their maize from GBM at a cost of $462 per metric tonne for bulk and $490 per metric tonne (bagged) against the current prices of $420 per metric tonne.
Tafadzwa Musarara, the chairman of the Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ), said the new GMB maize prices to millers would move the retail price of 10kg roller meal by 12% from the current retail price of $6,41 to $7,13.
“The decision to restore GMB’s monopoly is inflationary and will be financed by innocent and ordinary low-income earning consumers,” Musarara said.
He said GMAZ, which met with GMB chief executive officer Albert Mandizha on January 24, has recommended that the maize importation liberalisation regime introduced five years ago should immediately be re-instated and allow private traders and millers to import maize.
“Outstanding (maize import) permits must be signed and released,” he added.
COMMENTS
With open market price at US$205.22,someone spmewhere is making a killing!! Or there is potential to make a killing if one goes into maize dealing in Zimbabwe and GMB opens up. My point is, there lies an opportunity somewhere. Connecting the right dots would spell propsrity for Zimbabweans at large….conversely wrong dotting means continued suffering to a lot of us and a killing by a select few.
True… but only if the investor connects with someone honest in Zim. If connects with dishonest, there’s no real recourse in Zim courts for foreigners without spending entire profits.
Meant price of maize.
The party boys are going to benefit here. Be sure of it
How do you separate non-genetically modified maize from genetically modified. Are yu able to take two 50kg bags and see that this is GM maize fron the naturally grown? Fibs! Who will be testing to prove that? Whats the essence of insisting on non-GMO when you are dying of hunger? I suggest Zimbabwe must buy cheap GMO maize and reduce the price by 12%
In the 1970’s, the Brits exclaimed that they could not starve Rhodesia into submission. Now, Zimbabwe starves its own citizens to death.