Following unfair trade practices associated with the importation of tomato paste and concentrate into the country, the government has moved to temporarily ban the importation of the products into the country, with effect from November 1, 2007. Consequently, it has directed all importers of the products to note the grace period, saying "it is meant to provide sufficient delivery time to ensure customs clearance of all pipeline imports of tomato paste and concentrate". A notice to importers sighted by the Daily Graphic at the Ministry of Trade, Industry, Private Sector Development and President's Special Initiatives (PSIs) in Accra yesterday warned that "any importer who imports tomato paste and concentrate, contrary to the notice, commits an offence and shall have such imports confiscated to the state" . The notice comes barely a week after a news publication report on the negative effects that under-invoicing of tomato paste and concentrate into the country was having on the economy and local producers of such products. The unfair trade situation in the industry has forced the only local tomato processing company in the country, Trusty Foods Limited, an Italian investment, which buys its raw material from the resuscitated Pwalugu Tomato Factory, now Northern Star Factory, to threaten a drastic cut down on its demand from the factory.' It is anticipated that should the threat be carried out, the numerous farmers in the northern part of the country who depend on the factory as their largest market will lose out, while the huge investment by the government to revive the factory will also go to ,waste. "Importers are advised to comply strictly with the notice," the Trade Ministry's notice warned, adding that "this directive is intended to curtail unfair trade practices associated with the importation of tomato paste and concentrate". Sources at the ministry said that apart from the problem of under-invoicing associated with the importation of tomato paste and concentrate, there were fears that starch dominated what had been canned as tomato paste. Source: Daily Graphic