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Cross border traders back local products

By SANFROSSA MANYINDA

THE country needs to relook into strategies especially on how to support the industrialization processes, Southern African Cross Border Traders Association (SACBTA) has said.

SACBTA-Zambia Secretary General, Jacob Makambwe, said in an interview in Kitwe that Zambia should support value addition as a way of promoting local products.

Mr Makambwe said this would encourage the chain stores to stock more of locally produced products.

He added that it was difficult for most traders to continue with trade even when they had to source products locally in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic which had brought the economy to its knees.

“Most products and services produced locally face high competition as a result of high market prices and the high cost of production in the country.   “We can start to attract our local product and encourage chain stores. As a country we need to support chain stores that have continued to get goods and services outside the country,” he said.

Mr Makambwe said that this would ensure that the product base that could support and supply the shelves the country has in the chain stores was built.

He stated that the advent of Covid-19 had presented opportunities for the private sector, the manufacturing industry and the agro processing products.

He said most of those that were involved in cross border trade could now take advantage and start buying local products.

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