Mozambique: INAE goes hunting for smuggled eggs in the streets of Nampula – Ikweli

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Mozambique: INAE goes hunting for smuggled eggs in the streets of Nampula – Ikweli

3:56 CAT | 08 Dec 2022

Photo: Ikweli

The National Inspection of Economic Activities (INAE) in Nampula is inspecting and seizing significant quantities of eggs imported by wholesalers there on the grounds of combating the smuggling of this essential product. A domestic egg-producing company is part of the operation.

The domestic egg-producing company’s denunciation directly indicates resellers who source eggs from neighbouring Malawi as those causing economic damage to domestic companies, which register huge losses.

“Unfortunately, when we were visiting the company, we actually noticed the smuggling of eggs,” said the provincial governor, leaving one of the production units. “We have a lot of eggs that come from the Republic of Malawi to be sold in the various supermarkets in our city and it is an egg that is not fit for human consumption. It is a deteriorated egg, it is being sold at a low price in relation to what is produced in that factory. We recommend Economic Activities to start checking the origin of the egg in all supermarkets, because according to the information there are huge amounts of egg that have already been fraudulently introduced. So, let’s close ranks and continue working so that the tax-evading egg is no longer imported.”

Last weekend, the INAE, accompanied by employees of the complainant company, went to egg retailers in the city, specifically along Avenidas Paulo Samuel Kankhomba and Rua de Monomotapa, the largest egg sales centres, where it inspected the business.

The work did not end there. This Monday, the team returned to the site demanding import documentation, permits and import invoices.

At the time, we found that one woman, one of the two employees of the complainant company, was carrying her company’s invoice book, where she recorded any statement made by the managers of the establishments that import eggs from Malawi. Furthermore, it was the aforementioned production company that in some inspected establishments created conditions for the purchase of padlocks to lock the warehouses, a fact that aroused the attention of those concerned and who considered the raid an order.

Another note that we learned on the spot is that the two employees [whose occupation we did not know] rented a Canter brand vehicle to transport the unspecified amount of seized product to one of the above mentioned company’s warehouses in the Namicopo neighbourhood, on the outskirts of Nampula.

And because the action was not well coordinated, even after requesting the presence of the press, the INAE inspectors assigned to the operation refused to give a report on the work, fearing future consequences due to the presence of one of the egg competitors.

It was because of this difficulty that we contacted the INAE provincial delegate who, when asked about the reason for the egg producing company being part of the inspection team, replied that it was within the scope of the partnership for the supply of a vehicle to transport the seized product.

Anyway, 24 hours after the seizure and until the close of this edition, INAE did not come to the public to give a report on the operation, or the quantities of supposedly smuggled eggs seized.

By Esmeraldo Boquisse

Source: Jornal Ikweli