TATENDA CHIKARA IN MASVINGO
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 mealie-mealie 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 mealie-mealie 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.
