SIALKOT: Chief Customs-North Sarwat Tahira assured the Sialkot, Gujranwala, Gujrat-based exporters to resolve their outstanding customs-related rebate and ANF issues on priority basis.
She said that the Customs Department is honouring its commitments, besides winning the hearts of exporters in this regard.
She said that customs was rapidly becoming a center of excellence with the active cooperation of the industrialists, exporters and importers. She said that there was a huge potential of exports from Sialkot through the dry port and Sialkot International Airport.
She was addressing a meeting with officials of the Pakistan Gloves Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PGMEA), Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and industry (SCCI), Sialkot Dry Port Trust (SDPT) and Sialkot International Airport Limited (SIAL), Collector Ahmed Reza Khan, Deputy Collector Waheed Anwar Abro, Additional Collector Faiz Ali, Assistant Collectors Palwasha Sayed and Ch.Fahad Bashir were also present on the occasion.
She added that the Sialkot exporters are playing their role to boost Pakistan’s economy by earning foreign exchange. She hailed the Sialkot exporters for establishing Asia’s first-ever private sector airport and airline. She said that the airport has a huge potential of cargo exports.
The collector Ahmed Reza Khan said that the collectorate providing advanced facilities to Sialkot exporters and importers besides ensuring rapid clearance of the export consignments at the Sialkot Dry Port Trust (SDPT) and Sialkot International Airport.
He said that the Sialkot exporters also took a keen interest in enhancing their exports from Sialkot, as the collectorate was successfully motivating them to export their goods via the Sialkot Dry Port Trust (SDPT) and Sialkot International Airport. The collector Ahmed Reza Khan said that the rebate claims almost worth Rs 900 million have been paid to Sialkot exporters so far and additional fund required achieving the target Rs 375 billion till June 2016. He added that the Sialkot Model Customs Collectorate striving to ensure the early clearance of all the pending rebate and refund claims of Sialkot exporters.
The Exporters condemned the negligent attitude of port authorities in handling the containers during inspections by ANF authorities. They said that business community normally misunderstood and confused in the matter of un-packing and repacking the product, and de-stuffing and re-stuffing the containers by the customs and anti narcotic authorities due to which they suffer severe losses in terms of damages to goods, packing, order cancellation, delay in delivery of export orders and demurrages at the ports and thought that it was the responsibility of ANF authorities but in fact it is the sole responsibility of the port authorities.
At this time our exports are at almost $2 billion and the efforts are in place to double this figure in three years time means that the inspection will also be doubled in three years for which we need our port operators to take this matter very seriously there is no rocket science involved in getting the cargo properly de stuffed as well as re stuffed in a proper manner so that there is no loss to the cargo.
The entire nation will have to work towards the goal of more and more exports and at the same time we need to deliver proper products well packed according to the needs of the customers. The Chief Customs North Sarwat Tahira also visits Sialkot international air port and Sialkot Dry port Trust.
