The Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe says the removal of imported Wheat Flour from Open General License is going to revive the local industry which was dying because of cheap quality wheat imports.
Government through Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa, on Thursday, announced in the 2017 national budget that wheat flour importation was no longer possible.
Last month, GMAZ, petitioned minister Chinamasa, over the importation of wheat by some local bread manufacturing companies saying the development was killing the local milling industry.
In his argument, Tafadzwa Musarara, the GMAZ, chairman said the importation of flour by local confectionary industries had reduced milling companies from 368 in 2007 to 37 in 2016.
“We welcome the removal of Imported Wheat Flour from Open General License. This makes it next to impossible for wheat flour imports to continue. Bakers who had already resorted to using 100% local wheat, notably Bakers Inn and Proton, have been able to obtain more than adequate local flour, produce high quality bread on the market at the same price with those bakers who had been importing flour. So, who has been benefiting from these flour imports? , certainly not the consumers,” said Musarara on Friday.
“We expect that our wheat contract support hactarage will increase tremendously next year, buoyed by this positive policy change.
“Further, we welcome the proposed amendment on the preferential treatment granted to flour milled from countries that do not grow wheat but have a subsisting bilateral trade agreement with Zimbabwe. This will discourage wheat flour imports and save the local flour milling industry,” he said
