These wholesale collectors and resellers of scrap metal and their derived products have just come out to announce good news through their National Union of Buyers and Resellers of Used Metals and Objects of Togo (SYNAREMUT). This is the process of professionalization of the sector now initiated by the government.
After years of activities without any law, a vacuum during which everyone did what they wanted, especially exporters who made rain or shine to the detriment of collectors and resellers, the cries of distress began. to bear fruit in order to protect the national economy. This is how the government initiated consultations between collectors and buyers within the framework of interministerial decree No. 014/MCICL/MEF/MPI of April 7, 2021, suspending the export of scrap metal until further notice. and ferrous by-products collected throughout the national territory.
And one of the decisions resulting from these consultations is that the minimum purchase price of aluminum is 910 FCFA/kg and the minimum purchase price of batteries is 640 FCFA/kg. And it is specified that these prices may be subject to modification depending on developments in the national, regional and international markets.
One is better than two, you'll get it, reacted SYNAREMUT, which nevertheless finds good news in this approach.
We would first like to clarify to the public that the government has not imposed any price, as we hear from left to right. But, it is an average price resulting from our various proposals, both on the buyers' side and on the collectors' side. For our part, we offered prices a little higher than that, but we are still pleased that a median was able to be found to allow us to move forward on an equal footing. This is already a good starting point for the regularization of our sector and we say thank you to the government for this arbitration work from the beginning to the end of the consultations," explains Alex MALKO, the secretary general of SYNAREMUT.
His joy is most justified by this process which is closing long years of anarchy which reigned within the sector and from which foreign buyers even took advantage by also installing collection parks, creating unfair competition in the country. And the purchase prices have never been harmonized, and therefore differ from one buyer to another or are set on impulse. For SYNAREMUT, at the same time as their customers expect products from them from established Togolese people, they also create their parallel businesses.
The process now underway should lead to the systematic organization of the sector through the issuance of approvals and the establishment of a monitoring committee. With the approvals that will be issued based on well-defined criteria, anyone can no longer be a collector or reseller ; as a result, the products can no longer be purchased from any collector or reseller who does not have approval.
"Our whole wish today is that the monitoring committee really does its job to ensure the strict application, for the moment, of the prices decided between us. And in the name of the national interest and the national economy, I call on the union of all our members to help this committee in respecting the provisions," indicated Alex MALKO.
Otherwise, SYNAREMUT agrees with the Togolese authorities that non-compliance with these measures exposes offenders, even if they are its members, to the rigor of the law. Better, if it is the buyers who will still try to impose a price.
One step completed, another waiting...
SYNAREMUT specifies that this decision only concerns ferrous by-products as clearly indicated in the press release from the Ministry of Commerce, Crafts and Local Consumption.
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The union explains that we are talking about products like aluminum and batteries which are unfortunately activities carried out by a few rare people due to the complexity of mobilizing the required tonnage. With the relatively small mass of aluminum or the battery, being able to make 25-30 tonnes to fill the containers is not easy and therefore only the reckless do it.
"The big part of our sector is scrap metal with major partners like Métal Cube from Davié and Steel Cube from Kara. We ask the government to also begin these same consultations with these partners to allow us to put in place a sort of framework there too," said Alex MALKO.
Remember that SYNAREMUT is the very first trade union organization worthy of the name in the sector which is mobilizing more and more people.
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