THE Government has entered into an administrative arrangement to allow oil marketing companies (OMCs) import diesel and petrol before the statutory instrument zero-rating fuel imports is signed.

Finance and National Planning Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane said the statutory instrument would be signed after all the documentation was concluded but the OMCs would start importing fuel without paying import duty.

The Government last Saturday announced that it had waived duty on imports of fuel but OMCs said they would not bring in the diesel and petrol until the measure was effected.

In an interview in Lusaka yesterday, Dr Musokotwane said following the arrangements which have been made, there would be a great improvement in fuel supply on the market.

"We have made some administrative arrangements to allow the OMCs to bring in the fuel and we are confident that the situation will normalise in few days time," Dr Musokotwane said.

He said the decision to suspend the 25 per cent duty on imported fuel had been done in good faith to ensure steady fuel supply during the two-week shutdown of Indeni refinery.

The Government said it would, through the Independent Petroleum Group of Kuwait (IPG) and Kenya's Dalbit Petroleum, import 50 million litres of diesel and 30 million litres of petrol to avert a fuel shortage.

The Government also asked OMCs to import 20 million litres of diesel and 11 million litres of petrol but President Rupiah Banda on Wednesday directed that OMCs be allowed to bring in more than double the quantity without paying import duty.

Meanwhile, the petrol situation in Lusaka has slightly improved although most filling stations still formed long lines of motorists seeking to buy fuel.

On the Copperbelt the petrol shortage had eased as most filling stations received the commodity.