The 200 days Rapid Results Initiative (RRI) which is expected to address the ease of doing business in the country is now producing fruits as a guest on ZimTrade‘s Agricultural Sector Engagement applauded the results.
The contributor who spoke during the question and answers session of the engagement commended the RRI for reducing the time of acquiring the exchange control approval (CD1) when exporting products.
“I commend the easy of doing business which reduced CD1 to a 15 minutes process,” said the participant.
The overall goal of the RRI was to reduce export complexities by at least 50% within the first 100 days. The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, which was commended also during the ZimTrade Engagement made a direct access to the CD1 through the internet.
“In order to reduce time taken to prepare export documentation, and for the convenience of the exporters, the Form CD1 is now directly accessible via
the internet, through the Computerised Export Payments Exchange Control System (CEPECS)” said RBZ a press statement.“Exporters are therefore invited to migrate to CEPECS for them to be able to raise Forms CD1, and generate export performance reports whilst in the
comfort of their own offices.”
Exporters had to go through offices to get the CD1, which would consume time and money sometimes. However, the same participant complains about the customs duties on border posts. The participant said that it still takes 2-3 days for the exports to be cleared at border posts.
A Chloride Zimbabwe manager is on record saying his company was losing millions of dollars due to delays at the border posts. Some of the Zimbabwe’s border posts such as the Beitbridge usually have long queues making the exporting process long.
ZimTrade was holding an agricultural Sector Engagement seminar in Harare, where various players were discussing. The issue of exports came up as the industry looked for new markets abroad.