Victor Maphosa

Herald Reporter

Imported lower-price maize meal flooding shops in parts of Zimbabwe is a substandard product being dumped in the country, say Zimbabwean millers who want permits to import maize meal suspended with immediate effect. Southern Region Millers has since written to the Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe, highlighting their concerns over what they see as unfair and damaging competition.

The letter was signed by the association’s national vice chairperson, Mr Masimba Dzomba.

The national association has backed the call, saying with the bumper harvest now imminent, there was no need for any imports and in fact the millers were already mobilising funds to prepay the GMB for 500 000 tonnes so farmers were paid on time.

The Southern Region Millers allege, among other things, that the imported mealie-meal is substandard, and available at low cost, pushing out local millers.

“As millers in the southern region, we are deeply concerned about the flooding of imported mealie-meal on the market,” said Mr Dzomba. “Local millers are being suffocated as these imports are being sold at very cheap prices.

“There is dumping of substandard mealie-meal at low costs and local millers cannot compete with the pricing as they have higher production costs. These imports are taking up local shop floor space and crowding out the local mealie meal.” Mr Dzomba said local millers had obligations to their employees who depended on the running of the industry for their livelihood and they feared the imports, if allowed to continue, might see some of them offloading some workers.