Millers |
In the last National Budget, Government switched from
subsidising maize to roller meal actually milled and distributed to ensure that
markets continue to operate properly for farmers and importers.
But in hearings, legislators heard that some trucks plying
the Sadc region had been ferrying Zimbabwe’s subsidised maize allegedly issued
through a named senior GMB executive who was allocating grain to some millers
beyond their plant capacities.
The millers were giving evidence before Parliament’s Lands,
Agriculture, Water, Climate and Resettlement Portfolio Committee chaired by
Gokwe Nembudziya legislator Cde Justice Mayor Wadyajena (Zanu-PF).
The committee heard that trucks, upon offloading copper in
South Africa from DRC, would return and be cleared at the Zimbabwean border
ostensibly carrying maize only to pick the grain in Harare before heading for
Kinshasa.
The committee sought to understand how a US$27 million
wheat import facility from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) was used.
a miller, Mr Wayne Moss of Mr Brands, said he had seen
subsidised maize being sold on the black market in several areas and in
Mozambique.
“The abuse is rife. It is so serious that it has to be
dealt with. There is abuse within GMB which you are already dealing with on who
gets what allocation. People are using roller meal maize to process other
commodities. There is maize going to DRC,” said Mr Moss. “I have been in
Mozambique, in Mutare if you go to a retailer and I have evidence, there is
(10kg) mealie-meal which is being sold at $110 transfer. I have got the receipt.
“If you are in the milling industry, if you are importing
maize, you cannot sell it at $110. It can only be subsidised maize, which is
for roller meal, and not super refined.”
Another miller, Mr Davies Muhambi of United Milling Company
said some millers were getting maize allocations from GMB beyond their plant
capacities and would offload the excess on the black market.
He said excess maize would either be sold to bigger millers
or exported to neighbouring countries.
“GMB would inspect your plant and they had ratings of the
plant and they would give you a certain rating of capacity and that was
supposed to be used to allocate maize.
“The guy with the biggest capacity should get the biggest
allocation because he can utilise it, and a smaller guy should get
proportionately less.
“From the list of allocations I saw, I realised that
certain millers with a plant capacity of milling, say 200 tonnes per week,
would get 600 tonnes per week.
“This is where you need to inquire. Where was that balance
going because every week, you have to submit returns to justify the next
allocation?” said Mr Muhambi.
“That list was controlled by Lawrence Jasi of GMB. This is
what led the Government to change the whole scenario of the subsidy programme.
We hear so many stories that some of the maize would be sold to bigger millers
who would use it for other processes like stockfeeds, porridge and remember the
subsidised maize is cheap.”
He said trucks were carrying subsidised maize to DRC after
buying the grain for a song.
“That was the maize that was then being loaded to DRC.
Trucks that carry copper from the north which is Zambia and DRC, going to South
Africa, they come back empty. But at the border they are stamped to have cargo
which is maize from South Africa. They come through Harare, pick up that maize,
exit Chirundu with Zimbabwean subsidised maize. This is what has been
happening. But we are not an investigative arm. If I go to those organisations
involved and ask for certain documents I will not get, so it will be hard to
have evidence. But if you give us a team, we will give you leads,” he said.
National Foods group chief executive officer Mr Mike
Lashbrook said the millers’ relationship with the Grain Millers Association of
Zimbabwe (GMAZ) led by Mr Tafadzwa Musarara was helping millers in lobbying to
get good terms from Government for their business.
He was responding to suggestions that GMAZ had been
captured by big millers with a huge financial muscle who were benefiting at the
expense of smaller and struggling millers.
Earlier on, some smaller millers had indicated that they
were getting a raw deal from GMAZ which they said was being run by huge milling
businesses. Herald
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