The DRC is facing a maize flour crisis. This staple food for the populations of the provinces resulting from the dismemberment of the Katanga and Kasaï space is increasingly rare. The price of a 25-kilogram bag of maize flour has doubled or even tripled on the market, making shopping difficult.
The government is providing immediate solutions to this crisis, but the Minister of Communication and Media recently said that the maize meal crisis was caused by a few ill-intentioned individuals who got Zambia to decide to no longer sell maize to the DRC, while it supplies other countries such as Kenya and South Africa. This statement by the minister raises questions about the real causes of the crisis.
In response to this crisis, the government conducted negotiations with the Zambian and South African authorities to obtain trailers carrying maize flour destined for the Katanga and Kasaï provinces from the Republic of South Africa. Zambia has also undertaken to supply fertilizers and improved seeds to the DRC, as well as maize flour for the Grand-Katanga and Grand-Kasaï areas.
However, the scarcity of maize flour is due to the low local production, which explains the soaring prices on the market. The government plans to support local production in the long term to make it more competitive.
This corn flour crisis is worrying for the Congolese populations who depend on this staple food. It is important for the government to find durable solutions to avoid such a crisis in the future