adminimported flour.
Millers have been importing flour from Asia, Russia, Turkey and Mozambique since the Government allowed flour imports to mitigate shortages in the country.
Mr Musarara said the industry had repositioned itself to meet local flour demand which stands at around 20 000 metric tonnes per month.
“More than 18 000 workers have lost their jobs and more jobs are at risk,” he said.
Mr Musarara said smuggling of flour into the country was rampant as business people were circumventing limits on flour imports.
He added that foreign traders were dumping flour in the country and killing local wheat production.
“These imports have now demonstrated that they have unprecedented gigantic and monstrous capacity to permanently extinguish winter wheat farming in Zimbabwe putting in jeopardy milling, fertiliser production, agricultural mechanisation and packaging,” he said.
Mr Musarara said the association had kept flour at affordable prices since dollarisation of the economy in 2009.
However, due to poor planning, Zimbabwe is struggling to produce wheat to meet the nation’s requirements and has to rely on imports.
With the deadline for winter wheat ploughing having passed on Tuesday, there are fears production targets for this year might not be met.
The Government has set a target of 75 000 tonnes this year up from 41 000 tonnes produced last year. Zimbabwe requires 400 000 tonnes of wheat annually. — New Ziana.
Online Reporter