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Oliver Kazunga, Senior Business Reporter
LOCAL companies should support Statutory Instrument 64 of 2016 by producing quality products that meet customers’ expectations to enhance viability of industries, an official said yesterday.
SI 64/2016, which removes several goods from the Open General Import Licence, was promulgated by the Government in June to regulate imports in order to protect local industry from the influx of imported products.
Products listed under the regulation include coffee creamers, camphor creams, white petroleum jellies, body lotions, builders’ ware such as wheel barrows and iron or steel products among others, which local industry has capacity to produce.
In an interview after handing over three ISO 9001 certificates to National Foods’ stock feed division in Bulawayo yesterday, the Standards Association of Zimbabwe (SAZ) technical director Mr Sabastian Zuze said SI 64/2016 accords industries an opportunity to improve on quality and meet customers’ expectations.
“The Government has said certain goods under SI 64 of 2016 cannot be imported if we produce and have the capacity to meet local demand. In this light, companies should back up the regulation by improving on quality,” he said.
“Naturally the instrument gives businesses and companies perhaps that were not going to get back on their feet in view of stiff competition that was posed by products listed under SI 64/2016, an opportunity to enhance demand for locally manufactured products and boosting business viability through meeting customer expectations.”
The three ISO 9001 certificates, which the group’s stock feeds division received, were in recognition for being a registered supplier, conformity to quality systems as a player in the food sector and certification to operate at the site where the plant was located.
Since the liberalisation of the economy in February 2009, Zimbabwe has experienced an influx of imported products mostly basic commodities from South Africa rendering the local manufacturing sector uncompetitive.
SAZ is the national standards body.
Its mandate is to facilitate the development and use of standards to enhance competitiveness of Zimbabwean products and service locally, regionally and beyond.
Mr Zuze said ISO certification backs the Government policy through assuring quality systems on industries and thus creating customer confidence on manufactured products.
“SI 64/2016 has obviously had an impact on the goods coming into the country in terms of goods listed under the instrument and also capacity utilisation levels for those companies that were bringing in certain products into the country has gone down.
“On the other side, those companies that were exporting into Zimbabwe, as a result of the SI 64/2016 are planning to set up shop here and this is in line with the Government’s industrialisation policy,” he said.
In a speech read on his behalf during the ceremony by National Foods stock feeds division managing executive Mr Lewis Ngwenya, group operations director Mr Richard Mann said: “We chose SAZ as the certifying body because as a Zimbabwean manufacturer, we understand the importance of Buy Zimbabwe approach . . . SAZ is an internationally accredited organisation and we’ve over the years developed a strong professional relationship with them”.
In May this year National Foods stock feeds division also attained ISO 9001: 2008 certification status.
“I’m proud to say we’re the first stock feeds manufacturer in the country to achieve this,” he said.
@okazunga
Online Reporter