By A Correspondent- The government has liberalised the importation of grain, maize meal and wheat flour after being hit by a second successive drought and chaos in the milling sector following attempts by the government to introduce a targeted subsidy.
 
In a statutory instrument 60 of 2020, the government announced that these products could now be imported without the need for an import licence.
 
“Pursuant to listing grain, maize meal and wheat flour on the open general import licence individuals and corporates may import these products without the need for an import licence,” the government said in Statutory Instrument 60 of 2020.
 
The Control of Goods (Open General Import Licence) Notice, 2018, published in Statutory Instrument 237A of 2018 is amended by the insertion of the following products to the General Import Licence; grain, maize meal and wheat flour, the new statutory instrument said.   
 
The government recently introduced a subsidy for roller meal to cushion the vulnerable from spiralling prices. This has however resulted in maize meal shortages due to rent-seeking behaviour and chaos in the maize milling sector.  The Government has also failed to pay for the subsidy with millers saying they were holding 10 000t which would be released to the market if the government pays the $120 million it owed them.
 
Government has also announced, under SI 61 of 2020, that anyone with free funds can now legally pay US$318 for an emergency passport. -finx