Samuda

The Order to halt exports of scrap metal in the burgeoning multimillion-dollar business has been gazetted and signed by the Industry, Investment and Commerce Minister, Karl Samuda.

This officially brings activities in the unregulated business to a standstill, effective October 31.

Cited as the 'Trade (Prohibition of Export) (Scrap Metal) Order, 2007', the order states that scrap metal includes any old metal, second-hand metal, broken metal, defaced or old metal goods (including machinery and plant), whether wholly or partly manufactured.

It also includes any metal, which is the property of the Government, whether ferrous, non-ferrous or ferro-alloyed.

However, the list does not include gold, silver or metals of the platinoid group.

Banned

The export of scrap metal will be banned for as long as the order remains in force.

The order does not apply to scrap metal, which, for the purposes of the Customs Act had, on or before the 30th day of October, 2007, been entered for export.

In a statement to Parliament on Tuesday, Mr. Samuda said that the theft of metals for exports had reached crisis proportions and so the Government had to intervene.

He said when the industry is regulated, exporters of scrap metal would need a licence to export their material.