adminand encourage consumption of high-quality local products.
Businesses will have an opportunity to showcase their products and services during the Buy Zimbabwe Day. They will have a unique opportunity to illustrate capacity to deliver quality products and service to consumers and show confidence in Government’s tariff review.
The Buy Zimbabwe Day is designed to celebrate local brands which meet high quality standards, adhere to the country’s labour laws and are produced in Zimbabwe – the three key principles which the Buy Zimbabwe campaign stands for.
Participants will also witness the unveiling of the unique Buy Zimbabwe insignia that will be the identifiable country of origin logo on local products that meet set criteria.
The event brings together Buy Zimbabwe’s critical stakeholders, who include the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe, Standards Association of Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce and the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries.
Buy Zimbabwe, as a competitiveness driver, views the re-introduction of duty on some imported goods and the reduction of duty on raw materials as an opportunity for local brands to become more competitive on the market, in terms of both price and quality.
Buy Zimbabwe general manager Mr Munyaradzi Hwengwere said consumption of local products would receive impetus from the Mid-Term Fiscal Policy, which restored import duty on some of the basic products.
“We announced at our launch, that for the Buy Zimbabwe campaign to be successful and effective we must ‘go beyond words’ by working with business, Government and consumers in practical matters directed at ensuring increased production and consumption of local goods and services,” said Mr Hwengwere.
“We can now also take this opportunity to celebrate tariff reforms introduced as part of the mid-term fiscal statement which will make it possible for businesses to compete fairly with foreign products.”
He said more needed to be done to increase capacity utilisation and plug the porous borders, which have been taken advantage of by unscrupulous businesspeople.
The Buy Zimbabwe Day goes beyond a simple assertion of pride in the country’s products but assures of a prosperous and sustainable future.
By ensuring more consumption of local products, the country preserves employment as jobs will be created and protected for the benefit of the majority of Zimbabweans who remain formally unemployed.
Government has since the beginning of the drive for consumption of local products been a critical partner of Buy Zimbabwe.
Buy Zimbabwe also encourages and promotes dialogue between the Government, business and labour.
“We pay homage to the National Economic Consultative Forum for affording us the opportunity to make submissions on behalf of business which have been considered in the fiscal policy review by the
Finance Ministry,” said Mr Hwengwere.
“Our hope is that the benefits of all these efforts will be transferred to the consumer in the form of fair prices and quality products that are readily available.”
CCZ has mobilised a number of consumer groups to participate in the Buy Zimbabwe Day commemorations.
Online Reporter
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