Zimbabwe licensed 57 foreign and local entities to grow medicinal cannabis and help tap the export market for the product, the country's investment group, Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency said, Bloomberg reported. ZIDA said production has already kicked off at some of the licensed farms, and the Ministry of Lands is working with ZIDA along with the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe to ensure the quality of the seeds meets regulatory requirements. Zimbabwe legalized medicinal cannabis in 2018 but has failed to ship the cannabis outside the country, Bloomberg said. “We have licensed 57 investors for medicinal cannabis production from Germany, Switzerland, Canada and as well some local players,” the agency said. “Companies have been licensed for cultivation and processing of medicinal cannabis and they own 100% of their investment.”

South Africa recently revised its rules on client accreditation for Authorized Economic Operators, which will have implications for exporters and importers operating as AEOs, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported Sept. 7. The new rules establish two “status levels” for accredited AEO clients. Level 1 traders will benefit from “fewer documentary and physical inspections,” expedited inspections, priority tariff and valuation-determination requests and more; Level 2 operators are eligible for all Level 1 benefits plus additional ones, including “priority applications,” certain fee exemptions and customs supervision exemptions. South Africa’s Accreditation Committee will consider applicants, which must undergo an “assessment to check customs laws and procedures competency,” HKTDC said. Approved applicants will be issued a certificate valid for five years.

Israel recently opened a new port terminal at Haifa Bay that is expected to allow larger cargo ships and reduce shipping costs and waiting times, Reuters reported Sept. 2. The terminal will be privately operated by China-based and government-owned Shanghai International Port Group, which has raised some security concerns in Israel and abroad, The Times of Israel reported Sept. 2. Despite the concerns, Israel hopes the port upgrade boosts its shipping competitiveness, decreases import costs and bolsters trade through the Haifa port, one of the country’s busiest shipping hubs, the report said.

Egypt recently renewed a decision that extended the shelf-life validity period for imported frozen fish and beef liver, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service said Aug. 30. The measure extended the shelf-life period of frozen fish from six to nine months and frozen beef liver from seven to 10 months, USDA said. The new measure is valid for six months or until Dec. 31. The shelf-life extension was first announced in April 2020 in a bid by the government to increase food supplies and facilitate trade amid the COVID-19 pandemic, USDA said.

Ethiopia recently revised its tariff manual to update import duty rates for more than 8,000 items, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported Aug. 30. The manual, which previously provided rates for categories of products, now includes duties for “specific products,” HKTDC said. The rate changes particularly affected manufacturing and agricultural goods, the report said, because Ethiopia hopes to replace imported finished goods with locally made items. The country eliminated or lowered tariffs on a range of industrial inputs, including ores, slag, fuels, oils, some spare parts for domestically assembled products and other raw materials, HKTDC said.

Pakistan recently amended its Foreign Exchange Manual to simplify its cross-border commercial payment process, which has implications for logistics-related payments, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported Aug. 26. The changes include new “arrangements” for paying container detention charges, port demurrage charges and charter costs to the owner of a ship or aircraft, the report said.

Iran recently resumed fuel exports to Afghanistan following the Taliban’s takeover, Reuters reported Aug. 23. The new Afghan government reportedly asked Iran to resume the fuel shipments because it feels it can openly buy sanctioned Iranian oil now that the U.S. military has withdrawn from the region. In response, Iran lifted a ban on fuel exports to Afghanistan that had been in place since Aug. 6, which stemmed from “concerns about the safety of trading in the country,” the report said. The Taliban also reportedly agreed to cut tariffs on imports of fuel from Iran and other neighboring countries.

Kenya recently published customs regulations that provide new guidance on a recordal system related to anti-counterfeit efforts, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported Aug. 19. The Anti-Counterfeit Regulations, released late last month, revise previous regulations and require intellectual property rights holders of any imported goods to “have such goods officially recorded,” HKTDC said. IPR holders must also fill out forms for various “status changes” that may affect the imported goods, such as ownership transfers, name changes registration or “if recordation is to be terminated.”

Dubai Customs recently issued guidance regarding imports of goods via e-commerce channels and the benefits available to traders, KPMG said Aug. 17. The guidance, effective Nov. 14, applies to commercial companies, including free zone companies and customs warehouses, and outlines certain exemptions. The guidance also said logistics companies may clear goods on behalf of businesses registered under the Dubai Customs customer registration system, and that electronic documents will be accepted for customs clearance, KPMG said. Customs declarations for goods valued at less than about $8,000 will be exempt from customs service charges.

A cyberattack “crippled” the flow of goods at South African ports just days after the country’s Port of Durban resumed operations following a period of civil unrest (see 2107150007), the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service said Aug. 11. USDA said Transnet, South Africa’s state-owned port, rail and pipeline authority, again declared force majeure after a July 22 cyberattack forced port workers to use paper-based clearance methods to move cargo at the ports of Durban, Cape Town, Ngqura and Gqeberha. The processing time of imported cargo slowed “dramatically,” USDA said, adding that port workers were able to process about three containers per hour. While systems at the Durban port came back online July 29, other ports still worked manually, and the slowdown has had lingering effects on South African imports and exports. USDA said poultry and beef shipments have been “severely disrupted.”