By Staff Reporter
A REGIONAL millers group affiliated to the Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ) has written to the grain processing umbrella entity urging a ban on cheap mealie meal imports it claims were crowding out local players whose businesses are now under threat.
In its correspondence on behalf of the Southern Region, GMAZ national vice chairman Masimba Dzomba said millers were “concerned” about the flooding of mealie meal imports which were suffocating local milling firms.
“Local millers are being suffocated as these imports are being sold at very cheap prices,” said Dzomba.
“There is dumping of substandard mealie meal at low costs and local millers cannot compete with the pricing as they have higher production costs.
Zimbabwe: Gmaz to Sue South African News Site Over Malicious Report
zimbabwe-today.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from zimbabwe-today.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
By Staff Reporter
THE Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ) has threatened to sue South Africa’s Daily Maverick after the news site recently published a report which projected the business group as scandal ridden and committing illicit transactions with impunity.
In a letter of complaint to the editor of the publication, GMAZ acting general manager Garikai Chaunza said the group was shocked by the report.
“We wish to categorically state that the allegations laid therein are not only incorrect but are malicious and defamatory,” Chaunza said.
The group denies claims by the publication that contents linking it to alleged scandals were fact-checked as no one was said to have contacted the organisation.
Covid-19 hits wheat imports
HARRIET CHIKANDIWA
ZIMBABWE’s milling companies have been hit by Covid-19 induced delays to wheat deliveries from the international markets, which have triggered a wave of price hikes on the commodity, according to the Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ).
Millers import wheat from several countries around the world including Russia, Canada and Germany, which are all under Covid-19 induced lockdowns.
GMAZ said this week lockdowns had caused delays in the arrivals of ships ferrying wheat containers, while many shipping firms had scaled down operations.
Cargo volumes have been affected by worldwide factory closures, and industrial output has been falling.
Millers import wheat from countries like Russia, Canada and Germany which are all under COVID-19-induced lockdowns.
These global lockdowns have resulted in vessels and containers arriving late with some slowing down operations.
This has triggered a global wheat price hike from $415 before the pandemic to about $450 per tonne, a move that will likely push the price of bread up if governments across the globe do not subsidise wheat and related products.
Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ) said it was feeling the effects of the delays in the arrival of wheat imports.
“This predicament is with us as well but we are grateful to command agriculture which is giving us 200 000 tonnes of wheat which is 50% of our national requirement and this is going to save forex,” Musarara said.
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