ISLAMABAD: The Exports Section of the Model Customs Collectorate (MCC) Islamabad posted a 38% growth of exports during the 1st-Quarter (July to September) Financial Year (FY) 2017-18 against the same period of corresponding FY16-17. The Exports Section gained the business worth Rs8200.44million during the First-Quarter FY17-18. Although exports are flourishing at the Exports Section of Islamabad Customs yet they are facing decline in the rest of the country.
According to details given by newly appointed Assistant Collector Exports Saiqa Abass while giving an exclusive interview to Customs Today that the Exports Section is working under the Air Freight Unit (AFU) at the Benazir Bhutto International Airport (BBIA) Islamabad. She told CT that most of the exporters from Sialkot, Faisalabad, Gujranwala and some of Islamabad-Rawalpindi do their business from this station.
During the 1st-Quarter FY17-18, the popular exports were of fresh chilled meat, vegetables, surgical goods, leather goods, textile fabrics and a little amount of small consignments of other items. Pakistani football has been a very popular export item in the past but now its export has lessened, she further said.
Answering a query regarding the comparative performance between the 1st-Quarter 2017-18 and 2016-17, Assistant Collector Exports told CT that, during the month of September FY17-18, the Exports Section showed 38.17% of growth with an extra value of Rs860million against the previous FY16-17. During September FY17-18, the Exports Section earned Rs3112.14million of business while it did Rs2252.33million of business during the same period of FY16-17.
Saiqa further told CT that, during the month of August FY17-18, the Exports Section posted 53.20% growth against the same period of corresponding FY16-17. During above said period, the Exports Section generated worth Rs2635.21million of business during August FY17-18 whereas it did valued at Rs1720.00million of business during FY16-17. The Exports Section received extra business worth Rs915million during FY17-18 against the same period of last August FY16-17.
During the month of July FY17-18, the Islamabad Exports displayed 2.88% average growth in exports against the same period of corresponding FY16-17. During July FY17-18, the Exports Section earned Rs2453.09million while it did exports business worth Rs2384.38million during the same period of previous year of FY16-17. She added that, during said comparative period of July, the Exports Section generated extra business valued at Rs68.71million against the same period of corresponding period.
Talking about her career, she says she completed her studies from Islamic University Islamabad. She joined the Pakistan Customs Service in December 2015 as Assistant Collector at the Air Freight Unit (AFU) and Cargo at the Bacha Khan International Airport Peshawar. Later, she was posted at Jamrood as Assistant Collector Exports.
During 2016, she was posted at Torkham Border and, after serving seven months there, joined the MCC Peshawar as an Assistant Collector Headquarters. After that, she joined Peshawar Dry Port and now she was posted as Assistant Collector at Exports Section of the MCC Islamabad at the BBIA.
She concluding by saying that she got training for capacity building from the Directorate of Training (DOT) Islamabad.
