The General Agriculture Workers Union (GAWU) is cautioning against a potential significant increase in the prices of food items if the proposed policy on import restrictions for 21 items is implemented.

The government is seeking parliamentary approval to limit the importation of these 21 goods, aiming to reduce the country's import bill and promote local manufacturing.

The items include rice, poultry, animal and vegetable oil, margarine, fruit juices, soft drinks, mosquito coils and insecticides, soaps and detergents, fish, clothing and apparel, and cement.

However, GAWU is expressing concerns that this move could lead to artificial food shortages in the market. GAWU General Secretary, Edward Kareweh, states that existing government policies have already undermined production.

“When you were putting in place measures on the back of government-owned policies which have undermined production, then you create a very big situation in the economy.”

“For instance, the discounted benchmark value policy was implemented by the government since 2019. For all these years, it has undermined domestic production. So a year after you used the policy to weaken the capacity of domestic industries to produce, you quickly come back and say I’m going to restrict imports”, he argued.

“When you do that, the likely of prices going up is very high because you have not actually supported the domestic producers to increase their capacity to be able to meet the shortfall that the imports will bring," he added.

The government's proposal for import restrictions on certain items is designed to find a balance between safeguarding domestic industries and ensuring a sufficient supply of essential goods.