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Herald Reporter
The Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe ( GMAZ) has appealed to regional key industry players to join SADC in lobbying for the removal of sanctions on Zimbabwe, saying their continued existence was negatively affecting the local milling industry.

Mr Tafadzwa Musarara, the GMAZ national chairman, made the appeal last Friday at a regional grain indaba which was held in Lusaka, Zambia where he was the guest speaker.

The regional grain event attracted regional and international key decision-makers from the food, beverage, and milling industry was organised by AFMASS FoodTech Southern     Africa.

The GMAZ boss, who was leading a 10-member delegation told the indaba, that sanctions were making it difficult for the country’s milling industry to    retool.

“We have been under economic sanctions for sometime now which have caused our economy to sink and we are now not able to compete with our brothers and sisters from the region,” said Mr Musarara.

“This has also made us lose regional market share, because there is nowhere we can compete with say South African milling companies which have a very vibrant crop industry, they buy their equipment on credit and pay over a period of 10 years, while us Zimbabweans are required to pay cash upfront and also our efficiencies are lower when compared to our regional counterparts.”