Millers want Zimbabwean government to impose tariffs on maize imports
Grain millers association says imports are harming the country’s attempts to improve food security by boosting local production
Harare — The Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe, which represents the country’s major milling companies, said it wants the government to impose a 40% of tariffs on imports of maize and maize meal because it is struggling to compete with cheaper South African maize grown from genetically modified seeds. The imports are harming Zimbabwe’s attempts to improve food security by boosting local production, Tafadzwa Musarara, the chairman of the association said in an e-mailed response to questions on Thursday. "The local milling industry has been on the end of the stick with regards to South African imports as South African millers literally dumped cheap GMO [genetically modified organism] maize meal into our economy and it’s time Zimbabwe realigned its economy by localising production of its staple foods," he said. Zimbabwe also imports maize from Zambia. Zimbabwe, once a maize exporter to its neighbours, has been importing the grain since a failed land reform programme that began arou...
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