Zimbabwe ban on chrome exports to stay

Zimbabwe would not lift an export ban on chrome, Mines Minister Obert Mpofu said yesterday. The government stopped shipments of chrome in April 2011 to boost domestic processing capacity. In May, Mpofu said Harare might lift the curb, but yesterday he told a conference in Harare: “I don’t think we will even consider lifting the ban. We can only encourage development of refineries and smelters here. It is not a good strategy to allow [any] raw exports.” – Bloomberg