The Mozambique Grain Institute (ICM) announced that it had suspended three companies from importing rice and wheat following “repeated irregular imports carried out without the required authorisation from ICM, IP”.
The ICM also made public the seizure of 34,300 tonnes of grain from the three companies, comprising 25,000 tonnes of rice and 9,300 tonnes of wheat, according to a press release issued on Tuesday.
The “indefinite suspension of the import operations” of Companhia Industrial da Matola, África Indústrias and Pembe Mozambique took effect on Tuesday, 13 October, and will remain in force until the companies regularise their situations, the institute said.
The suspensions do not “prevent the affected operators from purchasing raw materials on the domestic market, provided they comply with applicable legislation”, which, according to the ICM, “allows industrial activity to continue and helps safeguard market supplies”.
Read the full communiqué below:
The Mozambique Grain Institute (ICM), in the exercise of the powers legally conferred upon it, hereby informs all relevant stakeholders and the general public of the indefinite suspension of the import operations of Companhia Industrial da Matola, SA (CIM, SA), África Indústria, Lda., and Pembe Mozambique, Lda., with effect from 13 October 2026. The measure will remain in force until the circumstances that led to the suspension have been remedied through full compliance with the legislation in force.
The measure follows repeated irregular imports carried out without the required authorisation from ICM, IP, in violation of the applicable regulatory framework, particularly Ministerial Diploma No. 132/2025 of 31 December, which designates ICM, IP, as the State’s exclusive agent for managing rice and wheat imports, as well as Ministerial Diploma No. 31/2026 of 24 April, which approves the mechanisms and operational procedures for importing these products.
As part of this measure, 3,300 tonnes of wheat irregularly imported by CIM, SA, through the Port of Matola on 9 October 2026 were seized, along with 6,000 tonnes of wheat belonging to Pembe and 25,000 tonnes of rice belonging to África Indústrias. These quantities will be forfeited to the State, pursuant to Article 18(2) of Ministerial Diploma No. 31/2026 of 24 April, if the companies fail to regularise their situations within the established deadlines.
The proceedings relating to the identified fines are at the investigation stage, with a view to establishing the quantities involved and determining the legally applicable amounts, while ensuring compliance with the procedures and safeguards provided for under the legislation in force.
It should be noted that the suspension of import operations does not prevent the affected operators from purchasing raw materials on the domestic market, provided they comply with the applicable legislation. This allows industrial activity to continue and helps safeguard market supplies.
ICM, IP, reaffirms its commitment to legality, procedural transparency, fair competition and the organisation of the domestic market. In this context, it will continue to exercise its powers to ensure that rice and wheat imports are carried out in accordance with the established authorisation mechanisms, safeguarding the State’s regulated intervention in this strategic sector.
ICM, IP, calls on all economic operators to comply strictly with the procedures in force, reiterating that compliance with the law is essential to ensuring transparency, predictability and the orderly functioning of the domestic rice and wheat market.
Maputo, 13 October 2026
Source: Ministério da Economia, Instituto de Cereais de Moçambique (ICM) / Press Release