WORLD TRADE WT/TPR/G/5 18 September 1995 ORGANIZATION (95-2658)
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RESTRICTED WORLD TRADE WT/TPR/G/5 18 September 1995 ORGANIZATION (95-2658) TRADE POLICY REVIEW MAURITIUS Report by the Government In pursuance of the Agreement establishing the Trade Policy Review Mechanism (Annex 3 of the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization), the initial policy statement submitted by the Government of Mauritius is attached. Note: This report is subject to restricted circulation and press embargo until the end of the meeting of the Trade Policy Review Body on Mauritius. Mauritius WT/TPR/G/5 Page iii Contents Page Introduction 1 PART A TRADE POLICIES AND PRACTICES Chapter 1 Objective of Trade Policies 3 Chapter 2 Description of the Import and Export System 4 Chapter 3 The Trade Policy Framework 6 (a) Domestic laws and regulations 6 (b) Trade policy formulation 9 (c) Bilateral, regional and multilateral trade agreements 9 Chapter 4 The Implementation of Trade Policies 12 (a) Programmes in existence for trade liberalization 12 (b) Trade policy measures 12 PART B RELEVANT BACKGROUND AGAINST WHICH ASSESSMENT OF TRADE POLICIES HAS BEEN CARRIED OUT Chapter 5 Wider Economic and Development Needs, Policies and Objectives 19 Chapter 6 External Economic Environment 21 (a) Major trends in imports and exports 21 (b) Important trends in the balance-of-payments, reserves, debt, exchange and interest rates 23 (c) International macroeconomic situation affecting the external sector 24 Chapter 7 Problems in External Markets (Problems of Market Access Facing Exports: Existing Significant Barriers to Trade) 26 WT/TPR/G/5 Trade Policy Review Page iv Annexes Page Annex I (a) List of controlled goods 31 (b) List of dangerous chemicals 33 (c) List of prohibited goods 36 Annex II (a) Imported goods subject to price fixing 37 (b) List of imported goods under maximum mark up system 37 Annex III List of Scheduled Territories 38 Annex IV (a) List of imports by products 39 (b) List of imports by countries 39 Annex V Imports from EEC by Section 40 Annex VI EPZ Exports, Imports and Net Exports 41 Annex VII Balance of Payments 42 Annex VIII Foreign Reserves 44 Annex IX External Debt Outstanding 45 Annex X Foreign Exchange Rates 1992/93 46 Annex XI Foreign Exchange Rates 1991/92 47 Annex XII Foreign Exchange Rates 1989/90 48 Annex XIII Principal Interest Rates in Mauritius March 1992 / December 1993 49 Annex XIV Principal Interest Rates in Mauritius December 1989 / June 1991 50 Annex XV Principal Interest Rates in Mauritius December 1988 / June 1990 51 Annex XVI Export by Destination 52 Annex XVII Weekly Quota Availability Report 53 Mauritius WT/TPR/G/5 Page 1 INTRODUCTION Mauritius is a tropical island of volcanic origin with a land area of approximately 1865 sq. kilometres. Agriculture occupies 48% of the total land area, woodland takes up some 35% while built-up area claims 13%. All arable lands are fully cultivated and are being encroached upon by demographic pressure for housing purposes and industrial demand for more space. With its small size, both in terms of land mass and population (1.1 million inhabitants), lack of natural resources and the inherent disadvantages of an island state characterised by remoteness from both the source of supply of its raw materials and the markets for its export products, Mauritius has to depend heavily on trade for its economic development and social progress. Mauritius is exposed to the vagaries of the weather. Usually, the island is visited between December and April by cyclones which affect the country, especially sugar in the agricultural sector. During the pre-cyclone period, the island also suffers from droughts which again have an adverse effect on that sector. However, the geography of the island provides some natural advantages, such as beautiful lagoons and beaches with temperature ranging from 21oc in winter to an average of 29oc in summer which have helped the tourism sector to develop and expand. Since achieving independence in 1968, Mauritius has implemented a number of national development plans to develop its economy. It is at present implementing its sixth plan. Over the last twenty years, Mauritius has undergone major structural changes from an agricultural monocrop economy with a growing population, high unemployment and low per capita income to a generally satisfactory position of fairly stable population, near full employment and a diversifying economy with emphasis on the services sector. In this process Mauritius has been helped by its membership of certain preferential trade agreements. The economy of Mauritius has been dominated by sugar as the main crop till the late 1960s. Mauritian sugar, in fact, has had a guaranteed market and enjoyed preferential prices through various agreements such as the Imperial Preference Regimes, the Commonwealth Sugar Agreement and the Sugar Protocol annexed to the Lomé Convention. During the period 1964-72, sugar accounted for over 25% of gross domestic product (GDP), whereas the small manufacturing sector, excluding the sugar industry, contributed about 7% to GDP. This sector consisted of a number of small industries engaged in the food, beverages, tobacco and, footwear sectors and the repair and assembly of machinery and transport equipment. The stable level of earnings which Mauritius derives from its membership of the Sugar Protocol have underwritten the socio-economic development of Mauritius. These earnings have contributed towards the financing of the manufacturing sector especially in the EPZ. This process has been assisted by the preferential access which Mauritius enjoys in the EU markets for its manufactured products under the successive Lomé Conventions. In a way, the membership of Mauritius to these important trade and aid instruments has helped mitigate the inherent disadvantage which Mauritius suffers as a small island state. In 1970 Government launched the Export Processing Zone Scheme to encourage the development of the manufacturing sector. The EPZ has transformed the economy where manufacturing for export WT/TPR/G/5 Trade Policy Review Page 2 has become the leading sector. Actually the EPZ accounts for 67% of total export earnings and provides employment to some 91,000 people of which 70% are females. However, EPZ activities are highly concentrated in the manufacture of textile products which are prone to various adverse effects on the international market. Moreover, at present the EPZ industries face a number of problems such as the vulnerability of the garments industry to demand fluctuations in the U.S. and the EEC; shortage of labour on the local market; and the international competitiveness of Mauritian exports. In fact, the manufacturing sector has reached a turning point owing to new developments in the international trade scenario especially in the wake of the GATT Agreement, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the creation of Single Europe and the advent of market economy in the East and Central European countries, among others. It is feared that the agreements resulting from the GATT Uruguay Round will seriously erode the trade preferences which Mauritius receives under the Lomé Convention. It will also be affected as a net-food importing country. Unless the "acquis" under the preferential agreements are preserved and measures taken on the local front to maintain the competitiveness of Mauritian products on their traditional markets, the manufacturing sector is most likely to face difficulties. Conscious of the fact that Mauritius cannot sustain its economic growth by relying solely on the agricultural and manufacturing sectors, it is implementing strategies for diversifying the industrial base and promoting the services sector, in particular. Tourism and the off-shore business sector are also expected to play an increasingly important rôle. The share of the services sector in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is more than 50% and accounts for 35% of the total trade. With a view to promoting the services sector, Government has created the Freeport Authority, the Mauritius 0ffshore Business Activities Authority in order to turn Mauritius into an international financial and business centre. Other measures include the launching of the Stock Exchange of Mauritius (SEM) with the objective of further democratising the economy and to effectively regulate the issuance of securities and their trading generally and to promote the financial centre in particular. To overcome its inherent development constraints and in order to benefit from economics of scale and foreign inputs for its industrial transformation, Mauritius is actively promoting and participating in regional cooperation and economic integration. It forms part of some regional groupings in Africa. It also proposes to play a leading role in the creation of the Indian Ocean Rim grouping. The authorities consider strong and sustained economic growth as being central to the maintenance of political and social stability in a multi-racial society like that of Mauritius. The economic well-being of the population, especially the improvement of its standard of living, has also strengthened multi-party democracy in Mauritius. The objective of the Government of Mauritius is to improve the quality of life of the population through a sustainable level of export-led economic growth and the participation of the entire population in the process of economic development. Mauritius WT/TPR/G/5 Page 3 Part A: Trade Policies and Practices Chapter 1 0bjectives of Trade Policies Mauritius practises an open trading system and has a long tradition of international trade. The trade policies of Mauritius are geared towards securing the import requirements of its population and the protection of consumer interest as well as promotion of Mauritius overseas as a business centre from where export and re-export activities can fully take place. To this end, the procedures for the conduct of international trade have been significantly relaxed. Price controls exercised until the early 1980's have been dismantled with exception made for certain sensitive items. Customs duties have been reduced on almost all imported goods with the exception of a few items.