adminClemence Manyukwe News Editor
THE government has urged Zimbabweans to buy locals products as their penchant for imports has the negative effect of exporting jobs while widening the trade deficit.
The Deputy Minister of Industry and Commerce Chiratidzo Mabuwa recently told parliament that locals favour imported products even when safer products that are produced locally are available. She added that in some circumstances when local products are even cheaper, people still go for imported products.The deputy minister said the trend had resulted in an alarming increase in the country’s annual trade deficit that stood at $3,3 billion last year.
The deputy minister said this while responding to a question posed by Senator Damian Mumvuri.
“Senator Mumvuri quoted the importation of vegetables, where one does not even know whether the farm produce is genetically modified organism (GMO) free or not. We know that our own vegetables here are all organic but you see people having the propensity of filling their shopping baskets with the imported vegetables, leaving the ones that are very much nourished,” said Cde Mabuwa.
“That goes on to even goods that are manufactured here, for example, bathing soap, laundry soap, you can name it, from small household items to bigger items.”
The deputy minister said her ministry is not folding its hands as the situation worsens.
She said they were removing certain products from the open general licence that they feel are generated by local industries and will monitor their supply or manufacturing for further action. Where there is a need, import licences for the gap between the supply and demand are issued, the deputy minister added.
“In our own, we’re appealing to our own people to promote what we call Buy Zimbabwe. This has been an annual event where the products of Zimbabwe are promoted. I know that before end of June 2015, there is going to be a convention in Victoria Falls where again we are going to be talking on the advantages of not exporting our jobs through buying foreign products but promoting our own products here in order to grow our own economy,” she said.
Mabuwa said her ministry is also in the process of promoting the pre-inspection of goods that are imported into the country. “We’re in the process of implementing a contract that we signed with a French company called Bureau Veritas for pre-inspection of goods that are intended to land here in Zimbabwe in order for us not only to protect our markets but also to protect our people from hazardous products that find themselves landing in the country through our border posts,” she added.
Online Reporter