The Tax Authority (AT) has pointed out that the inoperability of the Port of Quelimane, located in Zambézia province, in the centre of the country, is compromising the revenue collection system, stressing that despite the conditions created to receive cargo, the infrastructure has failed to attract vessels, especially large ones, especially in recent years, after the timber export process was paralysed.
According to Ambrósio Orrubale, AT’s provincial delegate, this scenario is attributed to the high operational costs of handling cargo and the limitations of the port, which is not deep-water.
“The Port of Quelimane has not been operating as desired for a long time. Previously, we had timber exports, but that all stopped with the export ban. The existence of logistical conditions would make a significant contribution to the state’s finances,” he explained.
Given this context, he said that he is stepping up his efforts to monitor other sources of revenue, since the targets set depend on the entry of goods from other places.
Last year, the company Caminhos-de-Ferro de Moçambique (CFM) revealed that the Port of Quelimane, in Zambézia province, had recorded poor cargo handling, exporting a total of 1,800 tonnes, adding that the level of use of the infrastructure for exports and imports was still very low, as it only has the capacity to handle 45,000 tonnes annually.
In 2021, the port benefited from dredging works costing around 127 million meticals, in order to make it more competitive.
