South Africa’s state-owned port and rail authority Transnet said it reached a three-year wage deal this week with the labor union representing its workers, ending a strike that had frozen the country’s trade lanes. The announcement comes after two weeks of strikes that led to “severe” staff shortages and threatened to “cripple” South African agricultural trade, USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service said in a report earlier this month. Transnet said its “priority” is clearing the backlogs across the country’s port and rail system. USDA said the labor dispute has caused “significant vessel lineup” and backlogs at the country’s major ports.

Oman will ban imports of plastic bags beginning Jan. 1, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported Sept. 28. The measure will bar any company, institution or person from importing the plastic but will not prohibit domestic production of plastic bags. Violators will be fined $2,600 for their first offense and “double that amount on a repeat violation,” HKTDC said. The sultanate banned single‑use plastic shopping bags, beginning Jan. 1, 2021.

Egypt will increase transit fees along the Suez Canal beginning next year, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported Sept. 27. Beginning Jan. 1, the state-run Suez Canal Authority will raise rates by 15% on “all types of vessels transiting the canal” and by 10% on “dry bulk and cruise ships.”

Uganda dropped a 5% export tax on refined gold, Moses Kaggwa, acting director at the Finance Ministry, said at a news conference, Bloomberg reported Sept. 1. The tax was cited as causing a dip in overseas shipments of the gold. The export levy was dropped in the revised Minerals and Mining Bill, which is awaiting presidential approval. Uganda imposed the tax, and a 10% tax on unprocessed gold, in July 2021 to increase the revenue collected from the key export, which last year became the country's top foreign exchange earner.

Egypt recently disclosed to the World Trade Organization new requirements for certain imported foods, USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service said in an Aug. 24 report. The new halal requirements and procedures will affect certain dairy products, including milk, buttermilk, butter and cheese. Egypt hasn’t notified the WTO of an effective date.

Saudi Arabia recently updated its regulations for shipping agents and permitting for port activities, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported Aug. 18. The new measures, which took effect this month, give the Saudi Ports Authority the power to issue, renew, suspend or cancel port licenses, and include various penalties for violations. The country will use an online portal for license and permit applications and issuance, the report said.

South Africa recently suspended antidumping duties on poultry from Brazil, Denmark, Ireland, Poland and Spain for a 12-month period due to rising food prices, the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service said in an August report. But the country will keep AD duties on poultry from Germany, the Netherlands, the U.K. and the U.S. USDA said Brazil is the only South African trading partner that will immediately benefit from the move because European poultry exports are limited by highly pathogenic avian influenza.

The South African government recently signed a deal with several trucking organizations to end a protest that had caused road blockages on “major” trade routes, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported Aug. 3. The agreement will address concerns truckers had with “foreign drivers” taking trucking jobs, the report said, including a proposal that will better enforce visa requirements. Truckers had blocked major roadways during their protest, with bad effect on investor confidence, key supply chains and the country’s economy, HKTDC said.

A part of the massive port grain silos in Beirut that were damaged in a 2020 explosion collapsed July 31 following a weekslong fire, AP reported July 31. The lengthy fire at the silos was started by grains that fermented and caught fire due to the summer heat. The northern block of the silos fell to the ground. The general director of the Port Silo, Assaad Haddad, told the AP at the time that "everything is under control," though Civil Defense official Youssef Mallah said other areas of the silos' northern block were also at risk of collapse.

Pakistan recently launched the first phase of its new single window to better facilitate trade and reduce customs costs, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported July 26. The window will offer online document processing, electronic customs registration, digital payments and import permits, along with a range of other trade-related documents.