SIALKOT: Faisalabad Dry Port Trust (FDPT) Chairman Chaudhary Muhammad Sadique has said that the inordinate delay in refunding of rebate claims was keeping the exporters away from using the up-country dry ports.
Addressing an important meeting of All Pakistan Dry Ports Association (APDPA) here on Thursday, he said that imports at up-country dry ports are not treated equally with that of at Karachi ports in respect of custom duties and valuation. Exporters are therefore reluctant to use up-country dry ports for their imports and exports, he added. Sadique stressed for similar application of custom procedures and rules at up-country dry ports, demanding early elimination of inordinate delay in clearance of export refund claims.
He explained that objectives of up-country dry ports were to provide custom clearance facility to exporters and importer at their door steps in order to facilitate and boost exports but exporters are reluctant to use dry ports due to delay in refund of export rebate claim. Up-country dry ports played an important role in development of exports but there is lethargy in resolution of their issues by departments concerned.
The Chairman FDPT stated that up-country dry ports had invested heavily in the development of infrastructure and also are incurring huge expenses to maintain these ports but are facing financial crunch due to lower volume of exports and imports routing through dry ports for the reasons mentioned above. He demanded that more and more consignments of exports and imports be routed through up-country dry ports to make them financially feasible and for that necessary rules can be made / amended to make compulsory routing of regional exports and imports through up-country dry ports. The chairman FDPT narrated that the energy crisis was also effecting the exports. He urged that the rates of gas and electricity should be made equal to Karachi.
