Trading of ozone-depleting substances banned

Trading of ozone-depleting substances banned

JAKARTA (JP): The government has banned the import, production
and sale of 22 ozone-depleting items, the Ministry of Industry
and Trade announced yesterday.

Former minister of industry and trade Tunky Ariwibowo signed
two decrees Jan. 27 establishing the ban.

Ministerial decree No. 110/1998 bans the trade and production
of the 22 ozone-depleting items, while ministerial decree No.
111/1998 bans certain imports into the country.

The banned items include carbon tetrachloride (CCL4), which
carries the code number of 2903.14.000 in the government customs
tariff book; trichloroethane or methyl-choloform (CH3CC13),
numbered 2903.19.00; fluorinated, brominated or iodinated
derivatives of acyclic hydrocarbons (CH3BR), designated as
2903.30.000; trichlorofluoromethane (CFC-11), identified as
2903.41.000; and dichlorodifluoromethane (CFC-12), numbered
2903.42.000.

Decree No. 110 states that the 22 banned items can be traded
until Jan. 1, 2005 to allow for the sale of stocks already in the
market.

Local manufacturers, however, are not allowed to produce the
banned items from the issuance date of the decree.

The government will revoke the license of any violators.

Decree No. 111 also forbids the import of 14 products using
the banned ozone depleting substances.

The 14 products include automobile air conditioning systems,
carrying the tariff code number of 8415.20.000; combined
refrigerator-freezers with separate external doors, designated as
8415.20.000; household compression freezers, numbered
8418.21.000; and fire extinguishers, numbered 8424.10.000.

The decree also bans the import of aerosols using
chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) as a propellant, under the customs
number 8424.20.000, and vending machines fitted with heating and
refrigerating devices, under 8476.21.000.

The decree stipulates that CFC-12 can still be imported until
Dec. 31, 2003 for after-sales service of certain types of
refrigerators, including those carrying tariff code numbers
8418.21.000, 8418.22.000 and 8418.29.000.

Imports, however, must be limited to 700 tons and be conducted
through registered importer PT Dharma Niaga.

Dharma Niaga must first ask approval from the Directorate
General of International Trade and advice from the Directorate
General of Industry, Metal, Machine and Chemicals to import CFC-
12.

Companies in the progress of importing the banned substances
on the issuance of the decrees must have the products arrive in
the country by June 31.

If a cargo ship cannot meet the deadline, the importer will be
forced to pay a fine. (jsk)