Ceramic importers are concerned about new rules

Agustin Ortiz

In the first nine months of 2013, ceramic imports in Ecuador totaled 40.74 million, denoting an increase of 55% over the same period in 2010. Colombia, China and Peru are the main countries from which they purchase.

Purchases outside cover 30% of the domestic demand, says the Association of Importers of Ceramic Flat (Asimcep).

So far, the INEN carries out amendments to Regulation 033, which according to the director, Agustin Ortiz, focuses its control systems to import, as laboratory testing and labeling requirements.

The president of Asimcep, Dalila Gomez explained that the current Regulation 033 provides controls and laboratory tests, but said that in Ecuador there are no laboratories that can perform the tests required by the current standard for production and imports, so it believes that “if the reform is implemented paralyze imports ceramic flat.”