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Momodou
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 Posted - 29 Oct 2007 : 15:34:24
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Traders Discuss E.U Market Access
By Bubacarr K. Sowe
Traders involved in businesses between The Gambia and the European Union (EU) countries on Thursday, October 25, gathered at the Kairaba Beach Hotel for a workshop on the theme, “Access to the EU Market for Agricultural Products: Opportunities and Challenges”.
Bai Matar Drammeh, president of The Gambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), speaking at the opening ceremony, said the EU remains The Gambia’s most important trading partner.
“In the first quarter of 2007 alone, Gambia’s imports from the EU represented 36% of total imports and exports to the EU represents 35% of total exports,” Mr. Drammeh said.
He expressed that trade between The Gambia and the EU shows huge deficit for The Gambia, “Which is not good for a small country’s economy.” According to Mr. Drammeh for the first quarter of 2007 alone, the deficit for The Gambia was at 37% of total trade between the two parties.
This large trade deficit he said could be attributable to many factors, but the main factor could be the small export base, the weak production capacity of the export oriented companies and last but not the least, increasing difficulties in accessing the European Market”.
Mr. Drammeh added that stringent sanitary and phyto-sanitary measures have rendered access to the European market more difficult for the least developed countries (LDC).
“Market access for LDC countries’ products and more specifically for Gambian products has not only a commercial dimension to it, but could also have political and social dimensions, which should not be over looked,” he said.
Helene Cave, Charge d’ Affaires of the European Commission to The Gambia, said The Gambia’s, market access to the EU is quota free and tariff free, as The Gambia is eligible to Everything But Arms. Madam Cave said: “In 2001, the council adopted the so-called “EBA (Everything But Arms) Regulation,” granting duty-free access to imports of all products from least developed countries without any quantitative restrictions, except to arms and ammunitions.
At present, 49 countries belong to the category of LDC’s. The provision of the EBA regulations have been subsequently incorporated into the GSP regulation. Only imports of banana, rice and sugar have not been fully liberalised as at now. These three products, however, are not really crucial to The Gambia. Duties on those products have been gradually reduced until duty free access was granted on banana in January 2006, sugar in July 2009 and rice in September 2009. “In the mean time, there was however duty free tariff quotas for rice and sugar,” She said.
Source: Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issue
Issue No. 127/2007, 29 – 30 October
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