ZAMBIA has reduced trade tariffs on goods produced by the Common Market for East and Southern African (Comesa) member states by 60%. Comesa general secretary Erastus Mwenchamade the announcement in a speech read on his behalf by Comesa’s director of trade, customs and monetary issues division Charles Chanthonya, at a week-long Automated System for Customs Data and Management (ASYCUDA) user group consultative meeting currently underway in Dar-es-Salaam. He also said that 17 out of the 21 Comesa member states had reduced tariffs by between 60 and 90%. The Comesa chief executive said with this development, a free trade area could be in force by October next year. He disclosed that Madagascar and Egypt had reduced their tariffs by 90% while Kenya, Tanzania, Mauritius, Sudan, Uganda and Zimbabwe had reduced rates by 80%. He said Malawi had reduced her tariff rates by 70% while Rwanda, Burundi and Zambia had cut by 60%.