Contrary to your report, there is no total abolishment of tariffs as countries still maintain their individual tariffs of up to 15 percent. This means that tariffs can be applied on 85 percent of product lines moving within the free trade member states.
The Ministry would like to state for the record that it has been involved in a number of outreach initiatives to inform the public, particularly the business community about the benefits of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA). For example at the Ministerial level, Neo Moroka and his assistant, Gobopang D. Lefhoko, have been addressing kgotla meetings and the business community through-out the country on what the FTA entails. Such meetings are still ongoing. At the regional level, the SADC Secretariat has been engaged in several campaigns both in radio and print media to publicise the FTA. Recently, regional business councils met in Johannesburg, South Africa to discuss their role and how to position themselves to better benefit from the FTA dispensation. Furthermore, the Ministry has been working with stakeholders such as BOCCIM, Botswana Exporters' and Manufacturers' Association (BEMA), BEDIA and the Ministry of Agriculture on how best to harness opportunities brought by this development.
