HARARE: For the first half of the year, to June 2016, total imports to Zimbabwe amounted to US$2.5 billion, a decline of 18 percent from US$3 billion in the same period last year and this can largely be contributed to various import control measures implemented by the government. According to the latest data released by ZimStat, imports for the month of June however increased by 5.43 percent to US$430,6 million compared to US$408,4 million in May, largely driven by maize imports.
Only last month, the government introduced import controls through Statutory Instrument 64 of 2016. The SI removed various goods from the general import licence and coupled with other measures on raw materials and the weak South African Rand, weighed down overall imports for the period.
Imports from South Africa, the country’s largest trading partner reached US$967.7 million in the six months, but month on month, there was a 4.23 percent decline to US$169.6 million compared to US$177.1 million in May.
Analysts are content that the import pattern will show further decline as SI 64, comes into full operation. Apart from South Africa, bulk imports were also from China at $190.5 million followed by Zambia at $96.1 million. Imports from Zambia were mainly of maize. Exports totalled US$1.1 billion an increase from US$984 million in May. Meanwhile, the trade deficit narrowed to US$1.4 billion as total imports amounted to US$2.5 billion against exports of US$1.1 billion.
