MEALIE MEAL IMPORTERS TO FACE THE LAW - NAMBOARD

MANZINI – It is now official, as from Thursday, those who will be found importing mealie meal into the country will face the wrath of the law.

This comes after the National Agricultural Marketing Board (NAMBoard) announced that the resolution taken by maize and maize meal stakeholders was to suspend the importation of mealie meal into the country with effect from November 1, 2018 until further notice.

The announcement was made by NAMBoard Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Siphephiso Dlamini during a press conference, which was held at the organisation’s headquarters yesterday.

The CEO said the resolution was arrived at during a stakeholders meeting, which consisted millers, maize suppliers, government agencies and consumers. He said the meeting was held on September 18, 2018 and the regulator also conducted consultations with relevant structures.

resolution

He said the basis of the resolution included some developments which were observed, and one of them was the improved maize distribution across the country by the National Maize Corporation (NMC), including rural areas. Presently, the CEO said there were 12 distribution centres around the country, compared to the about four which were operating in 2016.

“Maize and mealie meal prices have improved in the country to levels that are favourable compared with other food value chains,” Dlamini said.
He said there was also an increased network and distribution of maize meal at reasonable prices in all regions of the country, including areas which were previously affected by the recent drought, like Lavumisa.

“Apart from improved distribution of the maize meal, it is also distributed at affordable prices in rural areas,” he emphasised.
Furthermore, the CEO said the increase of incidents of maize meal smuggling into the country, which was sometimes sold in shops across the kingdom, was not good for the economy. He said it was immensely harming the economy.

Jobs

He said the continued importation of mealie meal into the country meant that the nation was exporting its economy. He said this would also have negative effects in terms of employment, as workers in the mills could lose their jobs.
“As a country, we need to preserve our economy and work on developing it instead of exporting it to other countries,” Dlamini said.

On another note, the CEO clarified that there was no timeframe for the suspension, but said as a regulator, they would monitor the situation.
He said normally, they met with stakeholders on a quarterly basis, but if there was a need to address an unexpected situation, they could arrange a meeting anytime.

Regarding the possibilities of being affected by another drought towards the end of the year, Dlamini said they would attend the situation as it came. He said all players would be involved through consultations. “This is total restrictions and we expect Eswatini to comply,” he said.

He added that there would be penalties for those who would continue to import mealie meal into the country. He said the penalties would be imposed by NAMBoard, Eswatini Revenue Authority (SRA) and the police.

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