The Confederation of Economic Associations of Mozambique (CTA) has criticised the government’s decision to centralise rice and wheat imports under the Mozambique Grain Institute (ICM) without consulting the private sector. The CTA warns the move risks over US$500 million in investments and 20,000 jobs, while highlighting the near absence of national production. The private sector objects to recent restrictions on rice and wheat imports and the exclusive role assigned to ICM as the sole importer.
The CTA argues the decision was made without dialogue, contradicting principles of good economic governance and public-private cooperation that have supported improvements in Mozambique’s business environment. In discussions with the Secretary of State for Trade, António Grispos, the government defended the single-importer model as a sovereignty measure, similar to that used in the fuel sector. Grispos assured that current investments, contracts, brands, processing centres, warehouses, distribution chains, jobs, and consumer prices would remain unaffected.
Under the planned system, existing operators would still select suppliers, quantities, and product specifications, with ICM handling imports on their behalf. Companies would remain responsible for customs clearance, transport, storage, bagging, and distribution. Despite these assurances, the CTA calls for the publication of regulations to assess the full impact.
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It warns of risks to the supply chain and food security, noting that national rice production is structurally insufficient, covering only around 80,000 tonnes annually compared to an estimated demand of 700,000 tonnes. Replacing imports effectively would require about 300,000 hectares suitable for rice cultivation, adequate irrigation, and roughly 30 processing plants with a combined capacity of 1.5 million tonnes. Mozambique is even more dependent on wheat imports, with negligible local production.
Wheat is a technically complex product requiring strict raw material specifications, making any supply disruption a serious risk to food security and social stability. Operators investing over US$500 million in infrastructure, logistics, brands, research, and quality control warn the policy endangers more than 10,000 direct and 20,000 indirect jobs across import, processing, logistics, and distribution chains. On 21 January, the Ministry of Economy announced that ICM, as the state-mandated body, invites all rice and wheat importers to express interest and complete mandatory pre-registration.
This is presented as essential for accessing the new import mechanism and ensuring transparency and efficiency in national supply. While Article 1 of Ministerial Diploma No. 132/2025 aligns with this procedure, Article 2, which requires ICM to supply rice and wheat to economic agents for sale, raises significant concern among businesses. The Ministry of Economy is urged to clarify whether ICM’s actions pertain only to Article 1 or also implement Article 2, which is the core issue worrying the private sector.
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