President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said that the government intends to ban the exportation of unprocessed granite. This, he said, is part of efforts to enhance foreign currency generation.
Speaking after touring Southern Granites (PVT) Ltd in Chitungwiza yesterday, the president said:
This has been an eye-opener. I am told that this factory has been in existence for quite some time, but all that I knew was our rocks were being extracted and depleted in Mutoko and sent in big blocks to Beira on their way to Europe.
The information was that we did not have capacity nor the technology to process these rocks to become finished products. Now that we have the technology I have instructed the Minister of Industry and Commerce (Mangaliso Ndlovu) to craft a Statutory Instrument to ban the exportation of raw blocks. We need to value add.
The difference is that a raw block ( at least 2,5 tonnes), if exported, will fetch us about US$4,5 million and if value addition and beneficiation is carried out we earn US$12,9 million. So, any reasonable person will go for beneficiation and this is the way to go in our industrialisation and modernisation of our industries. We have no choice, we must do that and we have to support companies of this nature. Let me say to our companies that beneficiate, you will have full support of Government.
He said Minister Ndlovu would sit with entities exporting raw granite so that they come up with an agreed time frame to stop such exports.
More: The Herald