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2.30. Companies enjoying these advantages must meet the following obligations: open an account with a local banking institution; keep proper accounts locally in accordance with the accounting standards in force; promote the recruitment of nationals and organize vocational training; and respect the various laws in force (environment, health, safety and hygiene at work). They are required to provide accounting and financial documents, as well as the various reports and statistics needed for assessing compliance with their undertakings.

3.42. (…) In general, controls in the form of import permits apply in order to protect consumers, live animals, plants or the environment, particularly under the international conventions signed by the Central African Republic.

Table 3.4 Import controls, 2012
Responsible body / Required document / Product
Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry (veterinary service) / Health certificate and CITES certificate / Live animals, trophies and protected species

3.53. The Central African Republic complies with the provisions of the FAO International Plant Protection Convention, the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius, the provisions of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), as well as those of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

4.48. Investors wishing to invest in the fisheries sector in the CAR may approach the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and in particular the Department in charge of Water and Forestry, Hunting, Fishing, the Environment and Ecology, which is responsible for developing fisheries and aquaculture. The FAO is currently evaluating fisheries and aquaculture potential.

4.49. The CEBEVIRHA is in charge of fishery resources for the purposes of revitalizing fisheries and aquaculture in the CEMAC area ; The CAR also participates in the Programme for the sustainable Development of the Lake Chad Basin (PRODEBALT), and the Agropastoral Recovery Programme (PRAP), which falls within the remit of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, includes a fishing and aquaculture component.

4.53. There are some sixty listed species, but production involves fifteen species (the main ones being Sapelli, Sipo, African mahogany, Aniegre and Iroko). The areas of planted forests are negligible (about 7,000 ha). The factors that have contributed to the decline in production and exports are primarily structural (the implementation of the new Forestry Code with requirements for sustainable exploitation), as well as exogenous (falling world demand since 2008).

4.55. Another innovation in the draft Forestry Code concerns the introduction of the principle of sustainable management of forests into management plans, in keeping with the Treaty on the Conservation and Sustainable Management of Forest Ecosystems in Central Africa. The Code aims to reconcile the exploitation of forest products with the requirements of conserving forest assets and the biodiversity with a view to sustainable development, and to ensure the conservation and protection of areas of vegetation to allow for their regeneration. On the other hand, the provisions of the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (FLEGT VPA) and REDD+, described in the common report, are not included; the Government's plan is to incorporate them subsequently in a new code.

4.56. Under the Code, forestry enterprises must obtain a "management and operating permit" (PEA), which determines the area of their concession and the conditions for exploiting it. PEAs are allocated for the lifetime of the company. The areas under PEAs are subject to taxation determined in the regulations and are the same for all companies: leasing tax (CFAF 500/ha of useful area under the PEA); felling tax (7% of the reference price per m3); and the reforestation tax (11% of the reference price per exported m3 of all species)

4.57. Approved forestry companies are also required to prepare and abide by a management plan to be included in the conservation, protection and forest management plan for the State's forests. According to the authorities, as of September 2012 all of the CAR's 11 PEAs attributed to concessionaires contained formally approved management plans. Three other non operating permits were awaiting allocation. The CAR has put in place national standards for management plans.