Government To Set Maximum Profit Margins For Building Materials
Maputo, 6 Jan (AIM) – The Mozambican government intends to set maximum profit margins in order to ban price speculation in the marketing of building materials, which has been harming the consumers and the business environment.
“Among the materials to be covered are cement, iron, zinc plate, among other products”, the National Director of Domestic Trade at the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Zulmira Macamo, told reporters at the end of a meeting held on Thursday, in Maputo, on the balance of the festive season.
Currently, said Macamo, talks are underway with the private sector and other institutions for the implementation of these measures.
“This is an effort to allow construction materials to be incorporated into the regulations on fixing maximum profit margins for basic products”, she said.
This measure will ensure, Macamo said, the purchasing power of consumers, at a moment when the cost of living is tending to worsen, which she blamed largely on unemployment.
According to the National Statistics Institute (INE), the unemployment rate in Mozambique has reached 17.5 per cent, and many people cannot afford to purchase construction materials to build decent houses.
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