Import restriction bill: Trade Minister to lay L.I. in Parliament today
The Minister of Trade and Industry, K.T Hammond is expected to lay the Legislative Instrument (L.I.) on Export and Import Regulations 2023 today in Parliament.
On Tuesday, November 28, deferred the laying of the legislative instrument, which seeks to restrict the importation of 22 selected strategic products such as sugar, rice, poultry, and tripe into the country.
This was the third time the policy document had suffered a setback in Parliament.
The move was to allow the Sector Minister to engage the Minority caucus on some amendments made to the legislative instrument.
The Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, has urged Parliament to support the laying of the L.I. to assist the government in its quest to curb imports.
Meanwhile, the Joint Business Consultative Forum, comprising associations such as the Ghana Union of Traders Associations (GUTA), Food and Beverages Association of Ghana (FABAG), Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana, Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders (GIFF), Chamber of Automobile Dealership Ghana (CADEG), and Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GNCCI), posited that the LI would have detrimental effects on their business operations if enacted.
The 22 items considered for import restrictions are:
- Rice
- Guts, bladders, and stomachs of animals (offal)
- Poultry
- Animal and vegetable oil
- Margarine
- Fruit juices
- Soft drink
- Mineral water
- Noodles and pasta
- Ceramic tiles
- Corrugated paper and paper board
- Mosquito coil and insecticides
- Soaps and detergents
- Motor cars
- Iron and steel
- Cement
- Polymers (Plastics and Plastic Products)
- Fish
- Sugar
- Clothing and apparel
- Biscuits
- Canned tomatoes