MULTAN: The Model Customs Collectorate (MCC) has recovered Rs 7 million customs duty from the Commander Agro (Pvt) Limited. The company had evaded the duty during the import of chemicals.
The company had imported zinc sulphate worth Rs 25 million a few months ago. The Commander Agro is a renowned company for agricultural services and their byproducts. The company is one of the largest agricultural companies in southern Punjab which provides agro chemicals, feed and agricultural commodities.
The company imported several consignments of zinc sulphate monohydrate for manufacturing of feed grade. One of the consignments comprised of 800 bags of 125 kg each weighing 20,000 kg each.
Multan Dry Port Deputy Collector Dr Muhammad Ali Malik took samples for chemical examination and found that the bags were carrying another chemical. The samples were taken in the presence of the company’s representative, clearing agent and dry port officials.
The Customs Audit Department sent the chemicals for further verification. After the chemical examination from the HEJ Research institute it was found that the company had imported zinc sulphate monohydrate as per declaration and the goods were in a grinded form.
The initial report read that the powder was not zinc sulphate as claimed by the importer. The 400 bags were found to be lambda–cyhalothrin.
During further investigation it was revealed that the chemical was more expensive than zinc sulphate monohydrate.
The price of lambda-cyhalothrin was $36 per kg while the price of zinc sulphate monohydrate was $23 per kg. The company tried to evade customs duty tax of Rs 7 million by through misdeclaration. The Multan Dry Port has sent contravention report to the Customs Adjudication after the collection of Rs 7 million customs duty.
Meanwhile, the Customs Adjudication collector has adjourned the misdeclaration case until 2 February.
