ZIMBABWE’s manufacturing industry, which is operating at 34% of installed capacity, is agitating for a widening of the list of products that cannot be brought into the country without a permit.The move is likely to increase the divide between Harare and its trade partners, but producers and officials in Zimbabwe insist it is critical to revive the manufacturing sector. Government also wants to keep the current account deficit in check.The impoverished country’s import restriction policy is already a thorny issue with neighbouring SA, Zambia and Malawi, which accuse Zimbabwe of breaching regional trade protocols. Forty-three products are already on the list of blocked imports, including steel products, coffee creamers, and petroleum jelly.Industry and Commerce Minister Mike Bimha has said the list was "a drop in the ocean" considering the range of products imported from SA, Zimbabwe’s largest trade partner.In 2015, SA’s exports to Zimbabwe totalled R25.64bn compared with imports wort...
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