By Deon Schlechter
WINDHOEK – The price of maize products was reduced by six percent as from Tuesday this week, bringing relief to almost every household considering corn is the staple food.
Yesterday, Namib Mills’ Managing Director, Ian Collard, confirmed the drop in the price of bags of Top Score.
With the price reduction a 10 kilogramme bag of Top Score maize meal which cost about N$100, will now cost approximately N$94. The most popular packaging of 2.5kg for smaller families, that previously cost N$22 will now cost N$20.65 a drop of as much as N$1.35.
Collard attributed the decrease to the good rains the country has received this year, making raw materials from the producers of corn such as maize cheaper.
This stabilised the market, because supply is sufficient.
“This has decreased the raw materials’ cost of Namib Mills, and brands such as Top Score will now be more affordable, thus bringing much needed relief to our customers,” said Collard.
The price for maize has increased drastically over the past years with the last increase of ten percent on January 20 this year.
These increases on prices of maize products were because of the drought experienced across the African continent.
Namib Mills maize products are Top Score Maize Meal, ACE Special Meal, Classic Sifted, Namib Sun Sifted, Ten Sifted Maize Meal, and No 1 Unsifted Maize Meal.
Namibian producers in the Maize Triangle and other productions areas have exceeded all expectations this season with the total white maize harvest at the end of July. It is expected 68 213 tonnes will be harvested at the close of the harvesting season in a few days.
The good news comes in the wake of last year’s depleted harvest, when the Maize Triangle, known as the Bread Basket of Namibia, produced a mere 35 000 tonnes of white maize during the debilitating drought of 2013.
This unexpected recovery after good rains in the planting season up to the end of March will fall just short of the record-braking harvest of 74 000 tonnes in 2012.
The Maize Triangle is expected to deliver 30 176 tonnes of white maize in total from 8 079 hectares planted in dry land crop areas and 778 hectares under irrigation.
Kavango expects to harvest 17 626 tonnes from 2 203 hectares planted under irrigation.
The Hardap Region is expected to contribute 9 000 tonnes from 900 hectares planted to the total of 68 213 tonnes of white maize.
In the central and eastern parts, 4 212 tonnes of white maize is expected to be harvest from 1 295 hectares planted in dry land areas and 1 138 hectares under irrigation.
The Omusati region will contribute 2 260 tonnes of white maize from 410 hectares planted.
The Zambezi’s contribution (where no accurate figures are available) is expected to be 5 000 tonnes of white maize.
“Namib Mills has procured sufficient maize for the ensuing year, and even more as we expect consumption to increase as there is limited or no mahangu available.
“Namib Mills, therefore do not foresee any problems regarding the supply of maize meal or any other basic food products in our current basket to our Namibian customers.
Food security should thus not be a problem,” he concluded, noting that Namib Mills has no control over the mark-ups of super markets and retail stores.