Mealie meal shortage looms

THE Grain Marketing Board (GMB) has not been selling maize to millers across the country for the past two weeks raising fears of mealie meal shortage and price increases.

Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe deputy chairperson Thembinkosi Ndlovu yesterday said they had not been getting maize from GMB for the past two weeks.

"They told us they are still working on some logistics," he said.

"They said we should wait, but it seems there is no maize.

"Most milling companies around the country are not operating as they do not have maize."

Contacted for comment, GMB spokesperson Muriel Zemura on Monday said she was on her way to Kariba and asked NewsDay to send questions in writing.

But by the time of going to print yesterday she had not responded to the questions.

When the NewsDay team visited the GMB depot at Nkulumane in Bulawayo on Monday, it was told that GMB staff had received a circular from the headquarters in Harare odering them to stop selling maize until further notice.

The workers said they had been selling yellow maize in the past few days, but had since stopped.