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Bianca Mlilo, Business Reporter
THE Government has issued 22 000 conformity certificates as at 31 December 2016 under the Consignment Based Conformity Assessment (CBCA) regulations.

The Ministry of Industry and Commerce has described the import regulations, which came into effect in March last year, as a success.

The CBCA is meant to curb the influx of substandard and hazardous goods in the country as well as creating a level playing field in favour of local industry.

Products that are found wanting under CBCA are shipped back to the country of origin. The CBCA programme is regulated by Statutory Instrument 132 of 2015, which stipulates that imported products must be verified for conformity or compliance to standards by the contracted conformity assessment agent in the country of origin before they can be allowed into Zimbabwe.

Permanent secretary in the Ministry of Industry Mrs Abigail Shonhiwa last week told Business Chronicle that a majority of these certificates were issued in South Africa, followed by China, Zambia, Europe and Middle East.

“A majority of certificates issued by Bureau Veritas since inception cover the following sectors — chemical products, machinery and electrical equipment, food products, new vehicles and items of plastic and rubber,” said Mrs Shonhiwa. “About 22 000 certificates had been issued by the end of December 2016.”

The Government contracted French firm, Bureau Veritas under the CBCA programme to carry out pre-shipment services of listed products in the country of export and issuance of certificates of conformity based on the national and international quality, safety, health and environment standards.

The contract is expected to run for the next four years after which the pre-shipment inspection exercise would be carried out by the Zimbabwe Quality Standards Regulatory Authority, yet to be established.

Bureau Veritas’ operations have not all been smooth sailing as a number of local manufacturers who export have complained that the cost incurred to them by having their products monitored by Bureau Veritas were eating into their export earnings.

@BiancaMlilo