Lifting of Restrictions on Importation of Onions and Potatoes and Additional Measures
The general public is hereby informed that in order to ease the burden on consumers, the Government of The Gambia has taken the following measures with immediate effect:
- The ban on the importation of onions and potatoes is lifted. Therefore all importers of onions and potatoes are free to import these products.
- The duty on imported flour has been reduced from 47% to the normal rate of 20% and the reference value shall be the transaction value.
- The additional measures of D1 per kilo of cement and 5% excise tax are now removed.
- The Government of The Gambia wishes to reaffirm that it will continue to pursue an open and liberal economy aimed at boosting trade and economic growth.
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Amie Bojang-Sissoho
Director of Press and Public Relations
For: Secretary General
CC: All Media
Web Manager – State House Website
5 Comments
Lifting of restrictions on anything positive is always welcome. But i think putting more emphasis on agriculture is of more importance. It,s 2017 and Gambians are jubilating because they can import onions and potatoes? These farm- products are subsidised for farmers in the west and so they can produce in excess which can be exported cheaply to our countries which is deterimental to our poor farmers. Government should invest more on agriculture. Almost every crop can grow in the Gambia and we have an abundance of water compared to the Middle East where the war of the future would be about water. The backway youths toil on the orchards of Spain and Italy in very hard conditions and sometimes without pay. Agricultural investment would help the Gambian farmer and help create jobs and a decent living for the Gambian youth and youths in the sub- region as a whole. I think this should be the task of the transition government and any government in the future.Seetsetal should not be abolished, it,s good for the environment and important for the health of Gambians. No politics. Importation of chicken legs and eggs from any part of the world to the Gambia should be banned and the ban on plastic bags should not be lifted. What we achieved in terms of plastic bags ban is something the industrialised nations are fighting for ages to achieve. No politics THE TERM-LIMIT IS NON NEGOCIABLE!
The ‘Seetsetal’ is complete rubbish that would encourage the area councils to be lazy and negligent in their responsibilities. That taxpayers money and revenues must be well appropriated and accountable in order for area councils to create well paid jobs in the sector of maintenance and cleansing services of the whole of their administrative areas. Every area council should be able to employ very well up to date maintenance workforces who should be equipped with mowers, trash collection trucks and the right body gear for the workers plus lucrative monthly salaries. The market area and taxi stands for and example must be kept a clean at least during twelve hours of the day. Clean should wear uniforms with reflector, gloves and nose masks.The people must be awaken to understand that the most honorable statesmen are those who keep the towns and villages clean and so lack of collaboration with them could be chargeable offences. Let Seetsetal not Rob off jobs of citizens. That dictatorial practice in the name of public health must stop.
I can’t understand the bullshit in this proclamation. The lifting of the ban on imported agricultural produce will only weaken the production and consumption of our local agricultural produce thus reduce the propensity in the farmers’ earning/ income which would have a negative impact on their overall standard of living. This is simple economics. Who can guarantee that prices of these imported goods will drop significantly, especially when Ramadan is just about a month away? We know the unscrupulous trade habits of our importers who have no mercy for the domestic consumers and rely heavily on hoarding to create artificial shortages that surge prices to unbearable levels.
Besides, countries that allow the importation of similar local produce, give subsidies to the producers to boast local production which is severely challenged at the market prices and consumer demand.
What a paradoxical and non-foresight policy that will not encourage the production of our local onions and patatoes especially at two of our country’s largest farms at Kombo Kafuta and Tubakuta.
In a free market economy, trade policies should be carefully and strigently taken to provide for the interest of the indigenous producers and manufacturers and in favourable partnership relations with the exporting countries. But that does not normally occur with our country, except for the President Jammeh era.
We have for long been receiving baised trade terms mostly from the West and neighbouring Senegal which had had severe recurring imbalances on our GDP at all levels.
This bitty incompetent Barrow administration needs to study Gambian matters as national interests not to revenge the period of President Jammeh. Our country nationals will soon groan at the administration’s irresponsible policies.
That is a myopic way of looking at this issue. You cannot just ban importation of basic commodities without concrete records that there is enough produced in the local market. You are right government doesn’t subsidice farmers and countris that ban goods ensures that enough is produced locally.
Jammeh lied and manipulated prices and supply of goods so he can sell his produce that was earned on the back of poor people. No artificial control of the market.bit the free market take care of itself.
Long last! The unscrupulous farmer who was at the helm of the state’s offices, who arrogated state facilities to himself to farm potatoes, onions etc., only to ban the imports of such products to criminally hijack and monopolize markets in a pirate’s manner, was sent running to Equatorial Guinea, nearly panting his guts out. We await his extradition!