Government has pledged to start inspecting supermarkets operating in Zambia to ensure that they begin to stock local products as a way of supporting local manufacturing
industries.
Commerce, Trade and Industry Deputy Minister, Miles Sampa, said government needs to identify supermarkets that are importing products that could be produced or manufactured within the country so that they could be compelled to start stocking local products in addition to the products that they import from other countries.
Mr Sampa’s remarks follow complaints by the Zambia Association of Manufacturers (ZAM) that most supermarkets in Zambia are importing products and farm products instead of buying from local manufacturers and farmers which they said have killed the market for local products.
Speaking when he graced the 47th ZAM Annual General Meeting in Lusaka today Mr Sampa stated that government will ensure that local contents are supported by encouraging supermarkets to stock locally produced goods side by side with imported ones.
The deputy Minister noted that the manufacturing industry plays an important role in the development of the country by creating jobs for the local people and enhance the growth of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Mr Sampa added that government will continue creating conducive environment for the manufacturing industry by formulating good policies to ensure that the industry flourishes.
He commended ZAM for exhibiting good corporate governance by holding an AGM every year which he said affords the general membership an opportunity to receive reports on the performance of the organization and chart the way forward to guide management during the coming year.
And speaking earlier, ZAM President, Bright Chunga, appealed to government to level the playing field for the local manufacturers to compete.
Mr Chunga noted that the application of duty and imports of raw materials and intermediary products used in the manufacturing sector penalises them and creates an unfavourable environment for manufacturers.
He also asked government to work on stabilising the exchange rate as the Zambian manufacturing sector is heavily dependent on imported raw materials which he said have been affected by the fluctuating of the exchange rate.
That minister is another piece of …
The meal mealie, Boom soap, Mosi, Maheu and beef from HH are those not local products?
Is this really the level of intelligence of PF Ministers? Next we will be back to UNIP era PRICE CONTROLS and NOTHING on the shelves of our shops!
The simple fact is that supermarkets BUY FROM THE CHEAPEST SOURCE, as they know their customers are price-sensitive. Obviously that is a lesson this dumb Minister is yet to learn, or maybe he gets paid so much money for making USELESS statements that he does not look at prices!
Village IDI0T mentality! That is not how to fix Zambias broken economy!
Dont be silly the minster is right,locally manufactured products should be given priority so that we create employment.
@ Dee
Tray again. Your comment is not just silly but outright ignorant.
What next? Ministry approval of which toilet tissue can be sold?
Imported products are more competitive than locally manufactured goods firstly on the basis of production costs and also in respect of quality. Look at the Zamanita margarine for instance, that stuff stinks and one would prefer to buy Kerrygold or Buttercup etc although the price difference is minimal, the quality is incomparable.
@logic – spot on!!
These suggestions do not seem to be consistent with the policy of liberalization. Ba minister na imwe. Let our local products compete on the market and in fact the same local product should be improved for export value
My brother/sister, don’t wonder why south africa does not allow you to export pineapples you produce more. Such an idea if implemented would encourage industrialisation. In developed countries, there is more tax on imported goods. Why? They want to compel people to buy local products which in turn booms the country’s economy. The Minister has not said no imported goods but a balance. I would actually propose to him that those which can be produced locally should not be imported. Good move PF!
It is good and important that Govt protects the local manufacturers. But i am still wondering HOW Govt intends to compel the Supermarkets to stock local products, or it is just another personal opinion turned into a “govt position”. In PF we have had enough of personal opinions of Ministers presented as “govt position” thereby leading to countless contradictions among ministers.
Its a comment from another PF F.OO.L who thinks he his educated. It seems the common denominator in PF is ignorance
More silly ideas from these useless empty tins if you want to promote local products reduce the cost of doing business. Encourage and support innovation via policy….stop these uncoordinated hollow utterances.
What do you Zambians know about Good or Bad governance???um?njebeni ko bane?what do u know?what do u know about how other successful countries are run?what are their policies?90% of you on this forum know utterly nothing-zero! Let me educate you:am a Zambia living in South Africa.Those products you fools import and say they are quality,are made by peasant farmers here.Poor people make those products!and the law here does not allow you as a foreign company to import any product manufuctured locally.That is how they became quality products because people had no option but to buy local.and they make enough to even supply left over rotten goods to you Zambians,and here u are smilling supporting supermakets that supply GMOs.
Zambians need to be intelligent enough to know that the more they import the more their own people lose jobs , your own products will help your people to come out of poverty , but zambians as docile as they are don’t think deep enough to know they are their own enemies
I challenge you to buy a sub-standard local product at an inflated price in preference to a cheaper, better quality imported product. Consumers will even pay more for better quality. You probably didn’t live in Zambia during UNIP era when the bread we ate had sand in it and the Mansa batteries lasted only one day.
But today due to competition you can see the quality of Zambian products like Rivonia, Zambeef, Boom, Amigo crisps, Softex toilet rolls, etc,etc… Oh and if u like coffee Munali, etc
Miles you are right but the strategy would be to complicate entry clearance for products like chickens,vegetables and other meat products such that sourcing them locally would be the best alternative for these supermarket.
Imagine Pick n Pay imports chickens,potatoes and tomatoes from South Africa when they get these prodcts locally and create employment.
The worrying factor is not that 1diotical statement comes from Hon. Sampa.
After all, when has he said something intelligent?
What is worrying is a most unfortunate fact that the same Hon. Sampa is a Deputy Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry!!!
Well done Hon. Sampa, Your contribution to the development of Commerce and Industry has been noted with absolute dismay,
This doesn’t make economic sense. Government should not interfere with the forces of market capitalism. This will just cause more problems.
George N. Mtonga
And what about quality and price? Some of these local products have questionable production environments. Remember the beef embalming saga.
It’s an interesting ideah. however, allow the local products to compete with imported brands. It might just encourage them improve their quality. The Govt can reduce taxes and impediments to price competitiveness.