The Sunday News
Vusumuzi Dube, Senior Reporter
ZIMBABWE will continue trading with United Kingdom under preferential trade arrangements with the gazetting a Statutory Instrument meant to give guidance on applicable rates of duty for exports from the UK.
The SI was part of efforts to address changes that came about by the BREXIT which saw the UK no longer fall under previous trade agreements previously agreed between the European Union and various trading partners inclusive of Zimbabwe.
Previously, Zimbabwe and the UK were guided by the European Union (EU) Eastern Southern African (ESA) Interim Economic Partnership Agreement (iEPA), signed on 29 August 2009, together with Mauritius, Comoros, Seychelles, Mauritius, Madagascar and Zambia.
According to a statement released by the Competitions and Tariff Commission, Zimbabwe together with Mauritius and Seychelles signed an agreement with the UK to facilitate the continuation of the preferential trade arrangement.
“On 31 January 2019, Zimbabwe – together with Mauritius and Seychelles signed an agreement with the UK to facilitate the continuation of the preferential trade arrangement. In September 2020, Zimbabwe completed its ratification process of the agreement.
“To give effect to its market access offer to the UK, it gazetted Statutory Instrument (SI) 9 of 2021 Customs and Excise (UK) and Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) (Suspension) (Market Access Offer) Regulations, 2021. The SI effective from the 1st of January 2021, shows applicable rates of duty for exports from the UK into Zimbabwe for the period 2021 and 2022, for qualifying products imported under the Agreement,” reads the statement.
The commission revealed that this year the country is expecting 1 824 tariff lines to enter the Zimbabwean market on condition they meet the Rules of Origin criteria provided in the Agreement.
“On the offer are also 905 tariff lines excluded from the tariff phase down, mainly covering textile and clothing, motor vehicles, furniture, machinery and mechanical appliances; electrical equipment, parts thereof; tools, glass and glassware, ceramic products, footwear, rubber products, beverages, dairy sector, and products of milling, amongst others.
“For these products, the applied duty is the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) rate. Products originating from Zimbabwe on exportation into the UK, benefit from the provisions of the agreement and qualify for DFQF market access,” reads the statement.
