The Ethiopian Petroleum Enterprise (EPE) is going to import coal from South Africa to secure sustainable supply of coal as an alternative source of energy for cement factories.
The move follows the unsuccessful bid by the Ethiopian government to acquire pet coke for cement factories.
All 12 cement factories have the infrastructure for using coal while Mugher and East are expected to finish installing infrastructure to use coal power sources by 2013.
Baraton Trading P.L.C signed an agreement with Furukawa, a Japanese company, to import hydraulic breakers and rock drills.
The deal is expected to ease the problems faced by Ethiopian contractors to obtain the construction materials.
Ethiopia is to increase its import of palm oil and sugar in the next budget year. The government plans to increase the import of palm oil by 56% and sugar by 11% according to the Ministry of Trade.
The decision to increase imports was reached with two thirds of the previous imports still in stock at various warehouses operated by the Merchandise Wholesale and Import Trade Enterprise.
A change in the size of containers from larger 20 liter jerry cans to smaller 5 and 10 liter ones in the next round of imports is expected to solve issues with distributing oil seen said sources.
The Leather Industry Development Institution, Ethiopia is to import semi-processed leather products. The Ethiopian institute had originally considered importing raw material. The institute made the decision to import leather to solve the shortage of supplies for national tanneries.
The import of semi processed leather will reduce the production process for local tanneries and minimize the environmental impact of the processing according to sources at the institute.
The Ethiopian Sugar Corporation is to import 300,000 quintals of sugar beginning in February. It is estimated that sugar imports, mainly from Brazil and India, will cost Ethiopia 555 million birr including warehouse rental and transportation.
The sugar will be imported at a cost of 1,850 birr for the quintal and is expected to retail for 1,264.40 per quintal on the Ethiopian market supported by government subsides. The sugar will be sold by consumers’ cooperative unions and the Merchandise Wholesale and Import Trade Enterprise.
