Ajustamento estrutural e sector industrial em Moçambique: o caso da indústria de óleos e sabões

Abstract

Since the 1930s, large quantities of oilseeds have been produced, with the much of it exported until the 50s, when the local industry of oilseed processing. However, the installed capacity increased significantly during the 1960s. But after independence no firm entered the industry and physical location of factories has not changed. There are eight oil and soap factories in Mozambique, five of them are medium-sized. In order to reverse the economic decline in the post-independence period, an economic reform program that favors the functioning of the market was approved: the Economic Rehabilitation Program. However, during the first 10 years of program implementation, industrial production declined for five consecutive years, from 1990 to 1994. Therefore, the industrial sector did not react favorably to the transformations imposed on the sector under the program, despite the privatization of many factories , rehabilitation of others, price liberalization, etc. This trend is contrary to that of other sectors such as agriculture, transport, and commerce which grew rapidly. The oil and soap industry has not escaped these trends. From 1991 to 1995, on average, 3,000 t of refined oils were produced annually. During this period there was a growth of 56.3% in production volume. The production of soaps is greater than that of oils in volume: an annual average of 10,000 t of laundry soap and 140 t of different soap brands were produced. These quantities are far short of the industry's installed capacity: it can produce up to around 30,000 t of refined oils and 45,000 t of soaps per year. In practice, only 4,000 t/a of refined oils are being produced, or 13.6% of the capacity, and 11,000 t/a of soap, equivalent to 25% of capacity. The scarcity of oilseeds in the domestic market and the difficulties of putting the final product on the market, given the uncompetitive prices, are the main causes of underutilization of capacity. When legal imports are considered, the effective protection rate for oils varies from 105% to 136%, and for soaps, 148%, according to the new customs tariff. Therefore, the industry's lack of competitiveness cannot be explained by the lack of protection. The industry incurs high costs, especially those related to the costs of locally sourced raw materials, financial charges and workers' remuneration. Only in a scenario of total tax evasion by oil and soap importers are industrialists unprotected by the tariff structure. In this case, the protection is negative: 19% to 15% for oils and 20% for soaps. Therefore, only better control of goods receipts by customs can eliminate evasion. The constraints identified in this industry are: the scarcity of raw material, the obsolescence of equipment, the high distribution costs and the lack of a market for the final product due to unnecessary and illegal imports, the high cost of poorly preserved raw material supplied. by dishonest players who charge for it the same price as well-preserved seeds, the high unit cost of processing the raw material, the lack of solvent extraction lines to remove the oil residues in the bagasse and the resistance to the adoption of modern technologies that allow the continuous manufacture of soaps.