The Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) has urged farm produce exporters to process their goods through customs-controlled warehouses.

Speaking during an engagement with farm produce exporters, MRA taxpayer education manager McHizzal Kawanga observed that Malawi has been losing a lot of forex because some local and foreign unscrupulous traders were taking advantage of lack of structured markets of farm produce.

He said:  “Those traders who fail to remit forex to the Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) will be committing a crime under Foreign Exchange Regulations and will be fined an equivalent of the amount of goods exported with five-years’ imprisonment.”

He said MRA will intensify measures such as patrols, establishment of roadblocks and other means to net smugglers.

Recently, government amended some sections in the Customs and Excise Act and one of the amendments requires that exporters of some designated farm produce export their goods through prescribed warehouses.

Following the new law, all farm produce exiting the country will have to follow the right procedures that also demand that exporters reconcile the forex with RBM.

MRA is currently engaging farm produce exporters, Customs Clearing Agents and other stakeholders on the new law.

Already, MRA has conducted workshops in Nsanje, Mulanje, Mwanza, Blantyre, Mangochi, Dedza, Mchinji, Mzuzu, Chitipa and Karonga. n

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