Gov't to ban importation of cement
Pauline Dikuelo | Friday June 29, 2018 14:56
“The proposed restrictions would be done through the issuance of import permit after the importer has submitted evidence that indeed they have satisfied the 70% requirement,” she said.
The restrictions have hit other sectors in recent times. Earlier this year the Ministry through Control of Good, Prices and Other Charges Act put in place measures to restrict the importation of bottled water in small quantities effective the beginning of August this year.
“As a way of promoting the development of the water bottling sector and attracting investment, we have restricted importation of bottled water in small quantities and only allow for 10 litres or more,” she said. According to the Minister this would go a long way in ensuring the sustainability of the water-bottling sector and assist in the national diversification efforts.
In 2015, using the same law, and the Trade Act, the Ministry imposed restrictions on the importation of pre-packed salt. The importation of salt in quantities of 500grams (g) and 1kilogramme (kg) were banned, only allowing for salt importation in minimum quantities of 100kg. The ministry explained the restrictions were made where raw material is available locally and there was need to develop the value chain of the specific sector. Salt has therefore been identified as a commodity for value addition locally rather than export it in its raw form since Sua Pan has the largest deposits of Soda Ash and salt in Southern Africa. In 2014, the government has also developed guidelines to control the export of ferrous and non-ferrous metal waste and scrap, a move aimed at improving accessibility of scrap metal-to-metal foundries/ processors in order for them to maximise their production.
However, the Ministry advised scrap dealers seeking permission to export ferrous and non-ferrous metal waste and scrap to get ‘export permit’ from the Ministry. According to Kenewendo, the Ministry is prioritising entrepreneurship and the advancement of Small, Medium and Macro-sized Enterprises (SMMEs) as the catalyst to achieving economic growth and development as well as economic diversification.