LAHORE: Collector Customs Lahore, Ms. Azmat Tahira, said on Wednesday that all procedural irritants
in smooth flow of export consignments have successfully been removed by Pakistan Customs. She disclosed this to Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) office-bearers and member during her visit to APTMA House here. She was accompanied by Ms. Farah Farooq, Additional Collector Customs Lahore and Syed Kareem Adil, Deputy Director, IOCO. APTMA Senior Vice Chairman Asad Shafi and others were also present.
The Collector Customs Lahore highly appreciated the contribution of APTMA members towards enhancing textile exports, saying that Customs department would leave no stone unturned to facilitate exports of textile sector. She added that most ardent demand for expeditious issuance
of Analysis Certificate has been amicable resolved. She announced that Input Output Coefficient
Organisation (IOCO) of FBR and Customs Collectorate would now onwards issue Input Output ratios and wastage as per determinations made in Textile Notes compiled by FBR a few years ago.
She added that these determinations made by FBR team in consultation with trade associations, National Textile University, industry experts and leading exporters was a mutually agreed document and would be followed in letter and spirit. The Collector announced open door policy for exporters explaining that exporters may walk into offices of all Customs officers without any prior appointment in case of any issue, delay or any connected problem.
Ms Azmat Tahira assured exporters that the systems related issues would also be resolved shortly. She vowed to personally take up matter with the Directorate General of Reforms and Automation to ensure that all held up requests for development and deployment of amendments in software are implemented without any further delay.
In response to the demand against maintenance of Customs record in duplicate both in manual and electronic formats, she announced that now onwards exporters would be required to file all documents only electronically and the condition of simultaneous manual submission is being done away with immediate effect. Earlier, Asad Shafi briefly highlighted the issues being faced by users of Export Facilitation Scheme (EFS) especially delays at various stages of processing. On this occasion leading exporters including Anjum Zafar, Habib Anwar and Faisal Pervaiz demanded for issuance of Analysis Certificates on the basis of determinations already made in FBR Textile Notes.
Most of the exporters presented their compliments to the Collector and her team for proactive approach in resolving the issues of the trade and industry in general and exporters in particular. They hoped that such facilitation mode would be replicated elsewhere as well. At the end, APTMA Secretary General Mohammad Raza Baqir extended vote of thanks to the visiting Collector Customs Lahore and suggested that such interactions between the trade and Customs Department may continue in future for facilitation of exports.