Barcodes for Mozambique

The Mozambican government is poised to introduce a barcode system in the country later this year, according to the industry and trade minister Armando Inroga.

Inroga said that his administration had already met the necessary legal requirements, and that the introduction of Mozambican barcodes would prove which products were of Mozambican origin.

At the recent International Packaging Fair in Maputo, Mozambique's Institute for the Promotion of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (IPEME) said that a barcode proposal by 275 companies operating in Mozambique is currently awaiting approval from GS1, the global coding standards agency.

The current system relies on barcodes purchased from neighbouring South Africa, which display information relating to that country and not Mozambique.

In recent years, Mozambican producers have complained about the lack of barcodes which they say leads to retailers dealing in imported goods and limits the export of locally-produced goods.

In 2008, Mozambican authorities announced that barcodes would be introduced in 2009.