adminSpeaking at Mine Entra conference on Wednesday, the committee’s chairman Mr Philemon Muchana said there was a need for collective effort to safeguard and protect local industry which was capable of producing the same quality equipment.
“Most suppliers and manufacturers of mining equipment in the country prefer to import machinery for resale because if they supply what they manufacture, no one would buy due to the high prices they charge.
“The equipment they import is almost the same in quality as the ones they manufacture, so instead of giving foreign companies employment, let us protect our own industries by promoting them,” he said.
Mr Machana urged suppliers and manufacturers to manufacture durable, quality products that will fetch competitive prices.
“We need to support our companies and refrain from shunning their products preferring foreign ones because by so doing we are exposing them to competition yet the quality is nearly the same,” said Mr Machana.
Speaking also during the same conference on behalf of Platinum Producers Committee chairman, Mr Hebert Mashanyare said the country had to go back to a situation whereby about 90 percent of suppliers were of local origin.
“Twenty years ago almost 90 percent of suppliers were locally available but with the coming of big mining companies such as Mimosa and Unki Mine, that changed.
“Such companies need advanced machinery which our local suppliers cannot supply or charge way too much for, so let us work together to redress the situation and find common ground,” said Mr Mashanyare.
He said by supporting local suppliers and manufacturers, it created employment and enabled the mining industry to grow and be viable.
Online Reporter