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Mr Sikalinda By BUSINESS REPORTER THE Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) has commenced the Customs Self-Assessment (CSA) which will enhance trade and reduce processing time.
The project being piloted at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport is in line with the World Trade Organisation facilitation agreement to which Zambia is a signatory.
ZRA Corporate Communications Manager, Topsy Sikalinda, explained that the CSA would later be rolled out to all Stations in order to bring about quick release of goods through simplified procedures where traders assess By BUSINESS REPORTER ZAMBIA’S traditional maize importers such as Zimbabwe and Malawi have shunned buying the commodity due to unpredictable border policies, Grain Traders Association of Zambia (GTAZ) has said.
GTAZ Executive Director, Chambuleni Simwinga, explained in an interview that while borders were currently open, the appetite for traditional maize importers from Zambia had declined.
Mr Simwinga said the unpredictable opening and closing of borders when the country had enough maize to export had created an unreliable market for maize.
“You know what is happening on the market is that the borders are open but there is no appetite from Zimbabwe and Malawi, all these traditional importers from Zambia are not picking maize from Zambia.
“This is because they have the grain and the other thing is that Zimbabwe for example had paid in advance and then there was a suspension of exports and they duties and taxes payable on their consignments
Mr Sikalinda said in an interview in Lusaka that the project would significantly reduce processing time and dwell time at ports of entry.
“It will also shift from exclusive movement controls to audit-based controls for customs and ensure customs only focuses on high-risk interventions,” he said.
He said the implementation of the CSA system required making changes to the Automated System for Customs Data (ASYCUDA) world system.
Mr Sikalinda said it was the changes that resulted in a system struggled to get the commodity and yet they had paid,” he said.
He said Zimbabwe was importing maize from as far as Mexico.
And Mr Simwinga said most millers were shunning buying maize from traders preferring to get it from the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) while GTAZ currently had about 30, 000 tonnes of the commodity.
Mr Simwinga said that both FRA and GTAZ were selling a tonne of maize at K1, 700.
³:e are still offloading mai]e interference, causing an intermittent system disruption to the ASYCUDA world system.
“Our technical teams actively worked on the matter and managed to restore the system fully on 6aturday th May 0 . ZRA wishes to apologies to clients for the disruption and failure on the Customs ASYCUDA World System that occurred from 5th to th May 0 .
“The Authority wishes to thank all clients especially the Customs Clearing Agents and Forwarding Agents, Transporters, Importers & Exporters for the patience and support rendered to the authority during the of ASYCUDA down time,” he said. to some millers and we have so far offloaded more than 000 tonnes. Traders are selling maize at the same price K1, 700 per tonne, millers prefer picking from FRA, what happens normally when there is FRA maize, everyone runs there.
“For us strategically we bought reasonable quantities of maize. It is not that much so what we are sitting on is about almost 30, 000 tonnes now and we are okay with that, we are in a reasonable range. This will be sold definitely,´ he said.