[2020-04-17] Angolan minister calls for domestic production of food products

Source: Macauhub

Angola has spent US$450 million on importing products included in the basic basket in the period from January to March, said on Wednesday in Luanda the Minister of Industry and Trade, who noted the need to invest increasingly in domestic production to save foreign currency.

Minister Victor Fernandes said that imports in the first three months of the year offer reassurance, as they ensure the supply of essential products to the population “in the coming months.”

During a meeting with the press to explain delays in the process of licensing importers, Fernandes said that the online process reached a peak of 2,880 daily applications, causing the computer system known as the Integrated Foreign Trade System to become very slow.

The minister said that the system was not designed to work with so many applications, and went into a period of maintenance, but said that the licensing process had not stopped.

Fernandes also said that the system would continue to receive applications, but that new criteria would be introduced to support local production, which will determine whether it is worth importing the products ordered.