Millers, bakers agree to retain divisive wheat levy

The deal, reached last week by a multi-sectoral task force, has reportedly been forwarded to Trade and Industry Minister, Dorcas Makgato-Malesu. The ministry suggested and chaired the task force after a stakeholder conference failed to reach consensus late last year.

The task force was charged with coming up with an agreed recommendation on whether the controversial levy should be retained or not. While Botswana Exporters and Manufacturers Association (BEMA) officials were unavailable for comment by Wednesday evening, other sources told BusinessWeek an agreement was reached at a recent task force meeting. “We had a meeting around March 26 and after going back and forth, we eventually agreed that the levy should be retained for another five years with a mid-term review,” said one task force member.