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Kudzai Chikiwa, Chronicle Reporter
GOVERNMENT has said those intending to import or export Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) must apply for licences by January 25 next year.

In a statement the National Ozone Unit (NOU) which is under the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement’s department of climate change management said this is in line with the Montreal Protocol.

The Montreal Protocol is an international agreement made in 1987 designed to stop the production and import of ozone depleting substances and reduce their concentration in the atmosphere to help protect the earth’s ozone layer.

Ozone depleting substances include chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), halon, carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), methyl chloroform (CH3CCl3), hydrobromofluoro carbons (HBFCs), hydrochlorofluoro carbons (HCFCs), methyl bromide (CH3Br), bromochloromethane (CH2BrCl).

“Notice is hereby given by the National Ozone Unit within the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement that all stakeholders intending to import /export Ozone Depleting Substances/Greenhouse Gases and Ozone Depleting Substance/Greenhouse Dependant equipment should submit their completed API (Application Programming Interface) forms stating their projected requirement for the year 2019 by January 2019,” reads the statement.

The NOU said submissions after the deadline will not be accepted and unlicensed stakeholders will not be allowed to export or import ozone depleting substances.

“Stakeholders are kindly advised to comply with this notice to avoid disappointment as any unlicensed imports/exports will be in contravention of the aforementioned regulations,” read the statement.

The Montreal Protocol which controls the production and importing of ozone depleting substances stipulates that all parties are to establish and implement a licensing system for the import and export of controlled substances.

The Government of Zimbabwe implements a licensing system through Statutory Instrument 131 of 2016.
Ozone depleting substances (ODS) are a threat to the stratospheric ozone layer. — @tamary98