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The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) leader, Antonio Mwanza, has condemned reports suggesting that the government plans to reintroduce price controls on essential commodities such as fertilizer, cooking oil, and sugar.
Mwanza described the move as “economically reckless”, saying it exposes what he called the UPND administration’s lack of ideas and capacity to address the rising cost of living and the escalating cost of doing business.
Commerce, Trade and Industry Minister, Chipoka Mulenga, was reportedly cited as having indicated that the government intended to reintroduce price controls to stabilize commodity prices.
However, Mwanza told Zambia Monitor in an interview that such an approach would harm producers, farmers, traders, and ordinary citizens.
“History has proven, time and again, that price controls never work — they lead to shortages, black markets, and economic distortions that punish the very people they claim to protect,” Mwanza said.
He added that price controls were not a solution but rather “a confession of failure.”
Mwanza urged government to address the root causes of Zambia’s economic challenges, including corruption, policy inconsistency, dependence on imports, and the neglect of local industries.
“The DPP calls upon the people of Zambia to reject these deceptive policies and demand leadership that thinks, plans, and produces — not one that blames and controls,” he said.
He questioned government’s commitment to reducing fertilizer prices while allegedly awarding over US$400 million worth of fertilizer contracts annually to foreign suppliers, mainly Chinese and other international firms.
“The hypocrisy is glaring. You cannot outsource national production to foreign suppliers and then pretend to care about affordability for Zambian farmers,” Mwanza said.
He argued that Zambia had the capacity and infrastructure to produce fertilizer locally through Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia (NCZ), if the government invested the reported US$26 million to fully utilize its 300,000-metric-tonne production capacity.
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Meanwhile, the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry has clarified that Minister Chipoka Mulenga was not calling for the reintroduction of price controls.
“His position has been clear: Government is committed to a private-sector-driven economy and will not dictate prices,” the Ministry said in a statement.
It explained that the Minister was instead calling for “fair pricing” that reflects the current macroeconomic environment.
“With inflation trending downward, the Kwacha stabilizing, and fuel prices relatively lower, manufacturers, suppliers, and transporters are expected to pass those benefits on to consumers rather than maintain artificially high prices,” the Ministry stated.
It added that the government’s call was for “responsible market behavior, not intervention.”
“Zambians deserve to feel the benefits of economic stabilization, and industry partners have a role to play in ensuring consumers are not burdened by outdated cost structures,” the Ministry said.
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