Zimbabwean exporters are keeping $900m offshore, finance official says
Exporters have 90 days to repatriate earnings to Zimbabwe, but some of them take longer
Harare — A Zimbabwean treasury official accused exporters on Monday of keeping $900m of their earnings in offshore banks — money that he said should be repatriated to ease dollar shortages and help stabilise the exchange rate. The Southern African nation is gripped by a severe dollar crunch, which has triggered shortages of fuel and medicine. The local currency has fallen, sending prices of basic goods soaring. George Guvamatanga, permanent secretary for ministry of finance told a parliamentary committee that $500m out of last year's $4.3bn export earnings was still being kept offshore. Another $400m was outstanding from the January to May 2019 exports, which earned $1.4bn, he said. Exporters were also keeping $800m in local foreign currency accounts, he added. "There is $1.7bn that should be available in this economy to pay for the pharmaceuticals, to pay for the fuel and all the requirements we need as an economy," Guvamatanga said. "The issue is how do we enhance the interbank ma...
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