Mozambican Court maintains import rules for rice and wheat

O Administrative Court rejected the request for suspension of the diploma governing the importation of rice and wheat, maintaining in force the rules that attribute to the Mozambican Cereals Institute (ICM) the coordination of that procedure, was announced.

The decision is the result of a measure brought by the Industrial Company of Matola (CIM), which intended to suspend the effectiveness of the instrument that places the ICM as an agent of the State responsible for conducting imports of those cereals, according to a statement released by the Institute of Cereals.

“The Administrative Court rejected the request for provisional suspension of the effectiveness of Ministerial Diploma No 132/2025 of 31 December”, the document states.

The decisions arise after the Mozambican Cereals Institute has recently suspended the import of cereals from the companies Africa Indústria, Pembe Mozambique and Companhia Industrial da Matola (CIM), alleging non-compliance with the rules governing imports of rice and wheat.

Subsequently, the institute lifted the suspension applied to Africa Industry and Pembe Mozambique, maintaining the dispute with the Matola Industrial Company, which contests the suspension of its import operations of wheat and rice, considering the measure “legally inadmissible”, as it results from an “illegal monopolistic” regime.

With the decision of the court, the ICM adds, “the suspension of the effectiveness of the Ministerial Diploma has not been determined”, which means that the regime that gives the institute the powers to coordinate and conduct imports of those products remains in force.

In the same note, the Cereals Office reaffirms its commitment to compliance with existing legislation and to safeguarding the public interest.

“The ICM reaffirms its commitment to compliance with the legislation in force, the organisation of the cereals import process and the safeguarding of the public interest,” the press release said.

The Office further maintains that it will continue to carry out the functions legally assigned to it as the authority responsible for coordinating the process.

On October 30, Mozambican businessmen requested the suspension of the decree that centralizes imports of rice and wheat at the Mozambican Cereals Institute, alleging a lack of legal basis and contrary to international commitments made by the country.

“It’s a big problem, it has other ‘nuances’ behind it and someone has to solve the problem definitively: the Government,” said the President of the Pelour for Tax, Customs and International Trade Policy of the Confederation of Mozambique’s Economic Associations (CTA), Kekobad Patel, in the margins of a meeting between entrepreneurs and the Finance Minister, Carla Louveira, in Maputo.

According to the person responsible, the decree in force since December 2025, which assigns to the ICM the management of imports of rice and wheat, should be suspended.

“It’s time to start suspending this. That's the first thing I think. This way of operating cannot continue ", defended.

The suspension of the operations of the three companies resulted, according to the Mozambican Institute of Cereals, in the seizure of 34,300 tonnes of cereals.

Among the products seized were 3,300 tons of wheat belonging to the Industrial Company of Matola.

The ICM has previously justified the centralisation of the import of rice and wheat with the need to combat alleged over-invoicing practices, which, according to the institution, cause damage to the state estimated at around 100 million dollars (EUR 89.1 million) annually.

According to the institute, the new model is also intended to allow greater control of foreign exchange use in the country. The mechanism came into force for rice in February and wheat in May this year.