Outcry over mealie mealie price hike
The recent increase in the price of
mealie-mealie in many retail shops
in the city of Masvingo has irked
residents who feel many will not
afford it.
A snap survey conducted by
Business Times this week revealed
that a 10kg bag of roller meal now
costs between US$6 and US$7 from
US$4 charged last month.
“We are shocked with mealiemealie price hikes. Imagine buying
a 10kg bag of mealie-meal for
US$6.50 or US$7. It’s too much,”
said one resident who requested not
to be named.
Another resident said: “It’s not
justified. It’s frustrating. Government
should intervene.”
The chairperson for National
Council of Disabled Persons in
Zimbabwe, Tawengwa Mazhambe
lambasted the move.
“Rising commodity prices are
actually affecting us as disabled
persons because only a few of us
[PLWDs] are formerly employed.
“We plead for a government
system that is established to cushion
disabled people. We should be having
identity cards that we can produce
in shops so that we buy goods at
subsidized prices,” Mazhambe said.
Economist and director at Labour
and Economic Development
Research Institute of Zimbabwe,
Prosper Chitambara said poor
harvests experienced last season
catapulted a decrease in maize supply
that has resulted in price increase of
maize.
“An increase of maize and mealiemealie prices is attributed to low
supply of maize because of poor
harvests experienced last year. So we
are hoping that this year we witness
a bumper harvest so that prices can
stabilize,” said Chitambara.
