A Spar outlet situated at Five Avenue Shopping Centre in Harare was among the shops raided by officials from the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development on Thursday.
The government launched a crackdown against shops and supermarkets selling counterfeit, expired and smuggled goods that have flooded the markets in the capital, Harare, and other cities across the country.
Zimbabwe has become a haven for smuggled goods, including alcohol and non-alcoholic beverages, which are often sold at below-market prices at shops and on street pavements.
This influx of illicit products has posed a challenge for local manufacturers, who have been voicing their concerns about the unfair competition to the government.
In an interview with NewsDay yesterday, senior agricultural economist Simbarashe Masanga said shops should follow proper procedures when bringing goods into the country. Said Masanga:
So they know that these products require permits, but they are actually doing the delivery. So that’s why we are seizing this flour from Spar Five Avenue.
The permit requirements are just a simple registration with AMA. Then you apply for a plant import permit from Plant Quarantine Services Institute.
Then we also issue a control of goods import permit straight from the Ministry of Agriculture and then you are good to go. And if the quantities are not even limited, you can import as much as you want.
Masanga said that some of these smuggled products are not even in short supply, but are being illegally imported despite local production of the same goods.
He said the smuggled goods pose unfair competition for legitimate local brands that can easily compete.
Masanga said to address this issue, the authorities have launched a crackdown, raiding shops and supermarkets found selling counterfeit, expired or smuggled products.
He also warned that businesses caught selling these illicit goods will face heavy fines, which the AMA intends to make punitive enough to deter such practices.
The agency plans to expand these enforcement efforts across all shops to “bring sanity into the agricultural marketing space.”
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