File photo, 2025. The Administrative Court building in Maputo, Mozambique's audit court for public accounts. (Photo: Salazar Sérgio, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Mozambique: Trade

A court in Mozambique has refused to pause a rule that puts the state in charge of rice and wheat imports. The decision, made public on Friday 13 November, keeps a contested import system running for now.

The interim ruling does not settle the law itself. The rules stay in force while the main case goes on.

What Happened

Mozambique’s Administrative Tribunal, the court that handles disputes with the state, rejected a request from Companhia Industrial da Matola (CIM), a company suspended from importing rice and wheat. CIM had asked the court to suspend Ministerial Diploma 132/2025, a ministerial decree of 31 December 2025, Diário Económico, a Mozambican business daily, reported on 14 November 2026.

The decree names the Instituto de Cereais de Moçambique (ICM), the Mozambique Grain Institute, as the state agent with a mandate to import rice and wheat. Diário Económico reported on 14 November 2026 that the centralised model began with rice in February 2026 and widened to wheat in May 2026.

The ruling, called an acórdão (a judgment), is no. 152/2026 of the Tribunal’s First Section, dated 3 November 2026 and made public on Friday 13 November, Diário Económico reported. It is an interim ruling, not a final decision on legality, and the main case continues, the paper added.

The Tribunal found that “não foram demonstrados prejuízos irreparáveis nem fortes indícios de ilegalidade”, which means no irreparable harm and no strong signs of illegality were shown, O País, a Mozambican news outlet, reported on 13 November 2026. Diário Económico added on 14 November 2026 that the court said suspending the rules could harm the public interest in national cereal supply.

Maputo’s port and the Maputo–Katembe bridge from the air. File photo, July 2018. Photo: Jcornelius, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Why It Matters

The decree decides who may bring rice and wheat into Mozambique, so it shapes the costs and risks of millers, traders and foreign suppliers. The government says the system serves the public interest, and the ICM has previously estimated that irregular import practices cost the state about US$100 million a year, Diário Económico reported on 14 November 2026.

Economy Minister Basílio Muhate defended the decree as serving the public interest and securing national supply of rice and wheat, O País reported on 13 November 2026. The ministry and the ICM say the mechanism strengthens oversight, Diário Económico reported on 14 November 2026.

Importers and millers feel the effect first, and consumers of imported rice and wheat in Mozambique depend on the supply outcome. Foreign suppliers and traders who sell grain into Mozambique now face rules that the court has left in place.

What Each Side Argues

CIM argues that compulsory pre-registration of importers has no legal basis, according to O País. It also objects to fees it considers undue and says the process interferes in foreign exchange, which it says belongs to the Banco de Moçambique, the central bank.

Business groups have also objected. In October the CTA, the Confederação das Associações Económicas de Moçambique, the national business confederation, called for the regime to be suspended, Diário Económico reported.

CIM was suspended indefinitely on Tuesday 13 October 2026 over alleged breaches of rice and wheat import rules, O País reported. Diário Económico reported that the ICM suspended CIM, África Indústria and Pembe Mozambique in October and later lifted the restrictions on the other two, while the dispute with CIM continues.

The ICM said in a communiqué on Friday 13 November that it reaffirms its commitment to complying with the law and safeguarding the public interest, MZ News, a Mozambican news site, reported. The institute has called a press conference at its Maputo premises on Monday 16 November 2026 at 12:00 in Maputo, according to MZ News.

What Is Not Known

It is not known whether CIM will appeal. The company has ten days from notification to appeal to the Tribunal’s Plenary, a higher panel of the same court, but the notification date has not been reported, so the deadline date is not confirmed.

No hearing date for the main case has been published, so that date is not confirmed. It is also unknown whether the ICM will lift CIM’s import suspension, and CIM’s own statement on the ruling had not been seen.

What to Watch Next

The first checkpoint is CIM’s ten-day appeal window to the Plenary, and its deadline date is not confirmed, both O País and Diário Económico reported. The second is the main case on the decree’s legality, which continues with no hearing date published.

For importers and foreign suppliers, the practical question is whether the centralised system settles into routine or meets a fresh legal test. Until the main case is decided, the state agent keeps its import mandate.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did the Mozambique court decide?

The Administrative Tribunal rejected CIM’s request to suspend Ministerial Diploma 132/2025. It is an interim ruling, and the main case on legality continues.

Who imports rice and wheat in Mozambique now?

The decree names the Instituto de Cereais de Moçambique (ICM), the state grain institute, as the state agent with a mandate to import rice and wheat. The model began with rice in February 2026 and widened to wheat in May 2026.

Can CIM appeal the ruling?

Yes. CIM has ten days from notification to appeal to the Tribunal’s Plenary, but the notification date has not been reported, so the deadline is not confirmed.

Why does CIM oppose the system?

CIM says compulsory pre-registration has no legal basis. The government says the system serves the public interest and secures supply.

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