The High Court Commercial Division in Blantyre has resolved a major fertilizer import dispute, declaring Aubrey Chitimbe, trading as Agro Light Trading, the sole legally recognised distributor and importer of KeenBooster fertilizer in Malawi, according to Nyasa Times. The court-sanctioned settlement, overseen by Justice M. Msungama, blocks Chipanga Traders and Keen Feeders Limited from importing or distributing the product independently. As part of the agreement, the Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) has been legally barred from processing any KeenBooster imports for rival entities. Chipanga Traders was also ordered to withdraw an existing import licence application and pay MK1 million to Agro Light Trading.
In a separate economic justice development, Luthando Holdings Limited Managing Director Hendrix Laher has publicly accused a powerful foreign exchange cartel of worsening Malawi's economic struggles, Nyasa Times reports. Laher alleged that certain businesspeople and banks are exploiting the forex crisis, forcing importers to purchase foreign currency on the black market at inflated rates and passing the resulting costs directly onto consumers. Defending the Malawi Revenue Authority's new Electronic Invoicing System, Laher criticised traders who have closed their shops in protest and stated that his company had already complied with the tax system without halting operations.