THE RULES and procedures for applying for market access permits for agricultural products were published by the Department of Agriculture (DOA) on October 24. This, said trade consultants at Deloitte & Touche, fulfils an SA commitment under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) “Marrakech Agreement” on market access. The permits will be issued to importers registered with the SA Revenue Services (SARS) and the Department of Trade & Industry (DoT&I), for importation of the agricultural products listed in the “Table of Import Arrangements”. Deloitte & Touche told FTW that the permits would be allocated as follows: l 10% to importers who have not imported over the past three years (“new importers”); l 10% to small, medium and micro enterprise importers (“SMME importers”); l 80% to importers who have imported the products over the past three years (“historical importers”). The applications for quotas for the respective quarters (Q), half years or full year for the year 2004, must be made by the following dates, as listed by D&T: Q1, 1st half or full year: November 21, 2003; Q2 and 2nd half: March 1-31, 2004; Q3: June 1-30, 2004; Q4: September 1-30, 2004.
