. Lubinda

By JAMES KUNDA –
Government has restricted the importation of edible oils to 1,000 tonnes per month, Agriculture Minister Given Lubinda has announced.
The imports, which have only been allowed to stabilise the cost of cooking oil prices on the domestic market, would be facilitated from this month until January next year.
Mr Lubinda said in a statement yesterday that import permits would strictly be issued to registered importers while unregistered ones have been directed to get the consent from his ministry.
Retailers have also been advised to ensure that they purchased their edible oils from importers with valid import permits.
The decision to allow imports was arrived at after a meeting of oil sub-sector stakeholders involving the ministries of Agriculture, Finance, Commerce, the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA), processors and importers.
“The stakeholders agreed that it is important to stabilise  the  sky-rocketing oil prices and in view of this, authority shall be granted for the importation of 1,000 tonnes of edible oils per month for three months from November 2015 to January 2016,” Mr Lubinda said.
The Government would closely monitor unfolding developments in the edible oil sub-sector to ensure that all stakeholders benefited from it.
Mr Lubinda noted that the private sector had invested more than US$150 million in the local processing capacity of the commodity.
“Let me also take this opportunity to sensitise the public, traders, importers and exporters of edible oil that according to the control of the goods Act, volume 23, CAP 421 of the laws of Zambia, every importer of edible oils should obtain an import permit, failure to which penalties will be applied,” he said.