The ManicaPost
Chido Chikuni Post Correspondent —
The buy Zimbabwe products, which is being backed by the Statutory Instrument (SI) 64 of 2016, is showing that it has a prime effect of catering for the demands of Zimbabweans, through stirring domestic productivity and encouraging consumption of locally produced products.
It is of paramount importance that the buy Zimbabwe plan was gazetted by Government so as to promote the consumption of locally produced goods and services on the market against foreign products.
Truth be told, the buy Zimbabwe is a noble strategy that is capable of unlocking local productive capacity of commodities through utilization of available resources. The policy is successfully sailing through since the introduction of SI 64 by Government.
Most cheap quality products that are being illegally imported from neighbouring countries like South Africa, Botswana and Zambia are flooding the local market and being sold at low price, hence overshadowing locally produced products.
As it stands, the local industry is showing signs of revival, but most business analysts feel there is need for local manufacturers to produce more variety products so that the production levels are boosted so as to encourage competition and, consequently, a reduction in commodity prices.
Buy Zimbabwe policy is premised on developing local industries as well as employment creation which is also in tandem with Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (Zim-Asset). Resuscitation of the local industry will open doors for employment creation.
Thus, when money is spent locally, it can in turn be re-spent locally, raising the overall level of economic activity, paying more salaries and building the local tax base. Industry and Commerce Minister, Mike Bimha once noted that as a nation, if we condition ourselves to procure local goods and services, domestic manufacturers will gain confidence in the market.
As a nation, Zimbabweans should be encouraged to heed Minister Bimha’s advice. Thus, the more we buy Zimbabwean products the more we prop up growth of the local industry. Hence, the opposite is true, continuous purchase of foreign products means promoting growth of their foreign markets.
It is also imperative to note that local economic growth has the potential to attract new talent and professionals, who may, in turn, create businesses of their own thereby enhancing a local economy. Business analysts who have been monitoring how events unfolds in the local market have it that local production of some products such as cooking oil have since increased as a result of SI 64.
However, the claims by a local weekly press that some basic goods are disappearing from supermarkets’ shelves as a result of SI 64 are just machinations of the media who have an agenda of destabilizing activities and performance of the local market. Most supermarkets are full with products of different brands. Actually, it is the end user who has the choice on which product to purchase and which to leave.
However, some local products could be temporarily off the shelves because of demand, which maybe superseding supply. Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries president, Busisa Moyo said some products could be missing from the shelves because many companies are still adapting to the system, increasing production and looking at how they could satisfy local demand. Therefore, citizens should not panic over exaggerated reports from the press as everything is under control.
It is worthy to note that every country that passes through an economic recovery stage has to encounter such challenges. The economic challenges that the nation is facing is just a phase that will come to pass. The government is doing its best to promote growth of local industries. According to Minister Bimha, many local manufacturers have been approaching him, asking for his assistance to restrict importation of products that falls under their line of produce.
The local manufacturers should then have the capacity to supply enough products nationwide that meets with demand. In simpler terms, buying local products means nurturing locally owned businesses which use local resources sustainably, employ local workers and serve primarily local consumers. It also means becoming more self-sufficient and less dependent on imports.
