By Rudo Saungweme

In an effort to avert hunger, Government has suspended issuing of control of goods permits for six months to encourage imports of all food stuffs.

The suspension is with effect from 22 November.

A contact in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement says the affected imports are, among others, maize, maize meal, wheat, flour, rice and cooking oil.

The suspension followed the promulgation of Statutory Instrument (SI) 247 of 2019 which wholly suspended the duty on the above products for six months effective 22 November 2019.

The contact says the Ministry issues control of goods permit as a way of managing the amount of imports and protect local industry.

He says imports negatively affects local industries if they are not controlled and monitored.

He also says the control of goods permit avoids flooding of local markets with imported goods that are also produced locally and have local substitutes.

According to analysts, importation of maize meal and wheat flour must be appropriately regulated. They say it is better to import maize and wheat for milling locally as it ensures that stock feed manufacturers access maize and wheat bran.

They also argue that it also protects local milling companies which had started toehold in the market.