Pak textile exporters seek cut in cargo clearance time

22 May '12

2 min read

Pakistan textile exporters are seeking a reduction in time for their consignments to reach the seaports from the prevailing 72 hours to 24 hours before the scheduled departure of the cargo ship, as they say adversities like power load-shedding are impeding timely production and are making it impossible for them to send their goods to harbour that early.

At a meeting of textile exporters and officials of Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF), textile sector representatives suggested various steps to reduce the time taken by ANF in cargo inspection at seaports.

The textile sector representatives claimed that the long time taken by cargo inspectors causes the exporters to miss their consignments, as ship does not wait till conclusion of the examination process. They suggested that the terminal operators should complete their inspections within six hours time to make consignments ready for loading on the ships.

They suggested that to save time the local export cargo should be inspected by passing through scanners installed at Karachi International Container Terminal (KICT) and Qasim International Container Terminal (QICT) that are usually used to examine Afghanistan bound cargo.

Also, it was proposed that textile associations should submit ANF a list of all bona fide members/exporters who have submitted NTN certificates and proof of their tax return filings to the associations. Likewise, ANF should email to exporters on their NTN based IDs, the names and cell numbers of clearing agent and two representatives.

The ANF also suggested that the clearing agents representing clearing agencies should remain present at the terminals with all relevant documents round the clock to facilitate speedy examination of shipments.

The meeting was attended by the representatives of Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Pakistan Customs, Federal Board of Revenue, Custom intelligence, Karachi Customs Agent Association, Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers and Exporters Association, shipping lines/shipping agents, Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industries and all port authorities and exporters' associations.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

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