The Confederation of Economic Associations (CTA) went public on Tuesday 26 December to clarify that the bóer bean market is open to all interested economic agents, despite the fact that a dispute between two exporting companies is currently before the courts.
The organisation’s president, Agostinho Vuma, quoted by the newspaper O País, reiterated that free access to exports should be open to all economic agents interested in the sector. “When it comes to hurting the market, we all have to be concerned, because when the market closes, it won’t just close for the litigants, it will close for all of us,” he said.
According to Agostinho Vuma, exports from the ports of Beira and Nacala have reached 200,000 tonnes this year and are generally proceeding normally, with around 40 companies currently exporting.
“Mozambique has already reached its target. We were worried about three weeks ago, when we were at around 60 per cent, then with the order from the Minister of Economy and Finance we were able to get some more production out. At the moment, there is no production in the hands of our small producers, it only exists in the warehouses of an operator who is part of this legal conflict,” said Agostinho Vuma.
In addition, the president of the CTA made it known that the purchase price of bóer beans from the producer has risen from the previous 12 to 50 meticais per kilogramme.
“This is a clear transfer of income through the cowpea, which is the main cash crop in the provinces of Zambézia and Nampula, covering more than a million small producers,” said Agostinho Vuma.
In this context, the CTA is calling on all the administrative authorities to ensure, by acting impartially and responsibly, scrupulous compliance with the decisions issued by the administrative court in Maputo city and by the Minister of Economy and Finance with regard to safeguarding all the interests involved in the production and export chain for this crop.
In the Confederation’s view, the dispute currently before the courts between two companies has a negative impact on the country’s reputation and conditions the market as a whole.
