ZMA says compliance levels up 95pc

THE Zambia Metrology Agency (ZMA) says it inspected over 1.2 million locally produced pre-packaged commodities in 2023, demonstrating an overall compliance rate of 95 percent.

ZMA Executive Director, Humphrey Nkobeni, made this announcement at a media breakfast in Lusaka.

Mr Nkobeni said the agency witnessed an overall compliance rate of 95 percent, a two percent improvement from the previous year’s compliance rate of 93 percent regarding the locally produced pre-packaged commodities.

“At the product level, substantial improvements were noted in the compliance of mealie meal to metrology requirements, achieving a compliance rate of 96 percent compared to 89 percent in 2022 representing an increase of seven percent.

“Similarly, mealie meal compliance of 96 percent was observed during the market surveillance, which demonstrated that the distribution chain and retail outlets maintained the integrity of this product,” he said.

He explained that this enhanced overall compliance in pre-packaged commodities to metrology requirements was also mirrored in the compliance of measuring instruments used by local manufacturers.

Mr Nkobeni said this was in various industrial and commercial settings, reflecting a similar improvement, with a 92 percent compliance rate, up by 15 percent compared to 77 percent compliance rate in 2022

Regarding the measurement instruments used at retail sites for trade, Mr Nkobeni said the overall compliance rate was maintained at 78 percent for both years, 2022 and 2023.

In this category, weighing scales and fuel dispensers exhibited compliance levels of 75 percent and 81 percent, respectively.

“The agency monitored imported pre-packaged commodities and measuring instruments at all twenty-eight (28) automated border entry points of Zambia, using the Zambia Electronic Single Window system which was on the Zambia revenue authority’s ASYCUDAWORLD. “The compliances of imported pre-packaged commodities and measuring instruments stood at 98.6 percent and 100 percent, respectively. Continued efforts were and will continue to be made to monitor imported commodity compliance to safeguard the country from consequences of false measurements,” Mr Nkobeni said.