Maputo, Mozambique, 31 Jan – Mozambique’s customs service in 2006 generated revenue of some US$433 million, the deputy director of Customs, Danilo Nela said in Maputo Tuesday.

Speaking to Mozambican news agency AIM, Nala added that revenues for 2006 represented an annual rise of 20 percent, or 2 percentage points more than the 18 percent rise expected in last year’s budget.

Nala said the results were due to the good performance of the Mozambican economy, with the consequent increase in imports and thus customs taxes.

Nala guaranteed that sugar smuggling, which has been considered to be a serious threat to the Mozambican sugar industry, was now under control due to a joint effort by the customs authorities and the police as well as the sugar companies themselves.

However, the industry estimates that around 10,000 tons of sugar continues to be smuggled into Mozambique annually, with the situation being particularly difficult in Manica province, which borders Zimbabwe.

José Chilengue, the executive director of the Mozambique Sugar Producers Association (Apamo), said that the results of the fight against smuggling had been good but not enough, as the quantity of sugar apprehended was still lower than the amount that entered the market. (macauhub)