Zimbabwe: Looking Back - Industries Told to Provide Better Quality Products
Zimbabwean industries have to provide cheaper and better quality goods to the domestic market while shedding their "arrogance" in regional markets if trade liberalisation is to succeed.
The CZI congress was told this yesterday after the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe took manufacturers to task for generally producing shoddy, overpriced goods for the Zimbabwean market -- and asked how this much talked about programme would actually benefit consumers.
The CZI's immediate past president, Mr Morison Sifelani, agreed that the quality of goods produced for the domestic market was as important as ensuring top quality for the export market.
This was, however, difficult given the shortage of foreign exchange for certain inputs although this did not excuse shoddy goods.
The Minister of Industry and Commerce, Cde Kumbirai Kangai, said that ordinary Zimbabweans stood to gain several benefits from trade liberalisation. It would promote economic growth, which would create jobs and help tackle the many frustrations now being faced such as transport problems and shortage of various goods.
The Senior Minister of Finance, Economic Planning, Dr Bernard Chidzero, said it would also help factories to produce more goods more cheaply for both the domestic and export markets.
"As the CZI itself has admitted, our problem is that we have a highly protected economy in which firms operate in a monopolistic environment, which has led to higher costs to the consumers."
On trade, concern was expressed that many Zimbabwean industries had for so long depended on the domestic market to make profit that they tended to display a "national arrogance" about exporting. They did not market their products enough in regional or export markets, which went against the export oriented emphasis of trade liberalisation.
But Mr Nahoor Meenan, of the Zimbabwe Export Promotion Programme, said that the situation had improved dramatically over the last few years although he believed that a great deal more attention had to be paid to Zimbabwe's natural markets in the region.
Industries are necessary for the well-being of the people of every country because industry together with agriculture help the country in achieving its economic growth and development
Industries help in generating the employment opportunities for the people and in majority of the nations after agriculture it employs the highest number of people and therefore it can be said to be livelihood of many families.
It makes the country independent because once country start producing goods with the help of industrialisation it does not have to depend on other countries for its demand and it can save its money by reducing the imports and it can even export its produce leading to foreign exchange income which in turn makes the country more prosperous.
Industrialisation causes the income of people to rise, and improves their standard of living.
As Zimbabwe also works towards reviving of industries, it also should be noted that the Small to Medium Enterprise drive has created a lot of self-sustenance in the country, though there is need to monitor and regulate the quality of products produced by these entities.
This article originally appeared in The Herald
Photo: The Herald