PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa said he was disappointed by
the behaviour of local manufacturers who abused laws meant to protect them from
cheap imports, by holding the market at ransom.
Speaking at the commissioning of a $7 million ProDairy milk
processing plant in Ruwa, Mnangagwa said his government had to suspend the
Statutory Instrument (SI) 122 due to mischief by manufacturers, who had
withheld their products to push prices up.
He said SI 64, which was replaced by SI 122, was his
brainchild and was meant to encourage and capacitate manufacturers.
“I was greatly disappointed three weeks ago when some of
the manufacturers were now hoarding and not releasing products to the
consumers. This is why I have now moved to remove SI 122 to allow, temporally,
the inflow of some of these goods,” Mnangagwa said.
He warned manufacturers against ambushing government with
price hikes and withholding goods, and called on them to work to help improve
the economy.
“If there is need to look at the cost drivers in your
products, it should be done properly, have dialogue with the markets and
everybody will sleep happy, no ambushes, the war finished in 1980. That’s when
we had ambushes, no more ambushes,” he said.
The ProDairy plant employs 175 workers.
“This is a commendable response by ProDairy to my
government’s thrust towards value addition and beneficiation of local
resources. It is our hope that the company’s products will enter the domestic
market at favourable prices, thereby, widening consumer choice,” he said.
Newsday
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