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(…) In October 2014 the Government announced a ban on the production and marketing of plastic bags effective 1 May 2015, imports of such bags being banned as of February 2015.

(...) Madagascar applies prohibitions and licensing under multilateral agreements to which it is party, including those on the environment (e.g. plastic bags since February 2015). (...)

Madagascar also has a vertically integrated textiles subsector, encompassing cotton growing, including organic cotton, cotton weaving, and making up clothing for export. (...)

Since the early 2000s, HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation has been producing cotton that meets organic standards and fair trade principles in Madagascar. In view of its expertise, in 2008 industrialists in Madagascar's textiles subsector sought support from HELVETAS to launch the production of organic cotton in Madagascar so as to take advantage of the entire value chain on the spot. The project encompasses sustainable production of organic cotton, its certification and promotion among potential buyers.

(...) The Ministry of Agriculture issues a permit for all agricultural products, seeds and live plants introduced or exported to Madagascar, the Ministry of Livestock for all live animals and animal products, the Ministry responsible for the environment for all exports of forestry products, and for all imports of used tires and used batteries.

Export prohibitions arise from the main legislation governing export controls, which dates back to 1992. It is forbidden to export archaeological or historical objects or certain species of fauna and flora covered in Appendices I and II of the CITES Convention, including medicinal plants. Rice exports are "suspended". (...)

This operation calls for the submission of extensive paperwork, which it is planned to dematerialize: the commercial invoice, for example, must be prepared in five copies and in foreign currency, and after being physically domiciled with a local bank (see above), must first be stamped by the line ministries concerned with the export product should it require authorization (forestry and mining products, handicraft (certified as hand made), and environment related products (CITES)). This measure is applied to determine whether the goods declared correspond with the invoice and those mentioned in the authorization; but it considerably slows down and increases the cost of the export process, as in practice it requires at least one physical visit to these ministries.

According to the authorities, Madagascar does not levy export taxes. Nevertheless, the above mentioned charges (CCCO, certificates, permits) and the entire range of levies, in several cases collected exclusively on exports and in proportion to their value, are de facto export taxes. These taxes are described in Section 4 in relation to gold and mining products, wood, essential oils and other forestry products, crocodile skins and other wildlife products.

The taxes imposed solely on exports are unlikely to encourage export or processing, even on a small scale. According to national observers, exports of essential oils are highly taxed. Exporters of crocodile skins and byproducts are also taxed. Two % goes to the account of the CITES permanent secretariat in Madagascar for its operations.

It was necessary in March 2015 to draw up an inventory of all standards and technical regulations in force in Madagascar, more particularly those affecting imports and exports, and to publish them officially on the Internet. This effort should be extended to all products potentially affecting human and animal health, safety, etc., such as foodstuffs, para pharmaceuticals, tobacco products, cosmetics, products harmful to the environment, medical equipment, etc.