11 Bulawayo millers close shop

11 millers have closed shop or downsized in Bulawayo due to an avalanche of cheap maize imports from South Africa, the Grain Millers Association said yesterday.

The closure of the milling companies, which comes at the height of the harvest season, is likely to leave maize farmers with no buyers.

The closure of the 11 milling companies is likely to affect farmers in Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South, Bulawayo, Midlands and Masvingo provinces.

The GMA warned yesterday the influx of cheap mealie meal from abroad could cripple their capacity to buy maize from the country's new farmers, saying it does not make economic sense to buy maize locally when it is far cheaper abroad.