According to the minister of Industry and Commerce, Victor Fernandes, this figure represents an "effort that the country cannot handle" if national production is not increased.
Victor Fernandes, who was speaking at a press conference about the import licensing process, also assured that Angola still has a 'stock' of essential goods for the next six months in light of the licensed orders.
"Because, we still have a lot of imports coming from other destinations and this import gives us the tranquility that the products are in stock, because the provisional map for the next months points to the same quantities", said the minister , in Luanda.
A little less than a month ago, the new minister of Industry and Commerce reinforced the need to invest in national production, referring that the measure "is part of the executive's policy".
"Reversing the situation we have, prioritizing national production and ensuring that the balance of imports and what we produce is more dependent on national production" are priorities, he maintained.
Regarding the import licensing process, the government official took delays, mainly due to the large "volume of requests" by the importers due to the bureaucratization imposed by the state of emergency.
This reduction of bureaucracy, he explained, "caused the system we have to receive a very large number of orders with a peak" and, he noted, "a system is not prepared to work with so much demand".
"That is why he himself (the Integrated Foreign Trade System (SICOEX)) had to undergo maintenance to withstand the avalanche of orders", he acknowledged.
Despite the fact that SICOEX is undergoing maintenance, he added, the import licensing process has not stopped: "We will continue to license, but we want to introduce criteria such as looking at what is produced locally and deciding what is worth importing", he stressed.
On the occasion, Victor Fernandes guaranteed that periodic information on imports and the 'stock' of essential products in Angola will be made available, noting that a newsletter will be published monthly.
