Karachi, March 21, 2018 (PPI-OT): Chairman of Pakistan Kiryana Merchants Association (PKMA) Waseem-ur-Rehman has said that the Department of Plant Protection (DPP) has imposed unwarranted ban on import of Betalnut, Coconut Powder, Tamarind and other essential items which has resulted in giving rise to smuggling of all these items through Afghan Transit Trade and also escalated their prices in the local markets.
In a statement issued, Chairman PKMA informed that the worsening situation can be gauged from the fact that the local prices of betalnut have risen by almost Rs1700 per kg to Rs2000 per kg from just a mere Rs250 per kg, causing losses of up to billions of rupees not only to relevant importers but also to the national exchequer.
He pointed out that the government has not imposed any kind of ban on the import of betalnut, tamarind, tapioca, coconut powder, phallus and besom but the Department of Plant Protection has imposed self-assumed ban on imports of all these items and no import permits were being issued to importers, resulting in promoting smuggling of these products which were landing in the Pakistani markets because of blatant misuse of Afghan Transit Trade, causing severe losses to many importers.
Chairman PKMA informed that around 225 containers of betalnut with an estimated worth of more than Rs1 billion remain stuck up at the ports as DPP was not issuing any import permits which means that due to the said situation, the government has also been deprived from huge revenue whereas the importers continue to suffer substantial demurrage and detention charges as their consignments have been put on hold from quite some time now.
Waseem-ur-Rehman while appealing Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Honourable Chief Justice of Pakistan Saquib Nisar and Advisor for Finance Miftah Ismail to immediately take notice of the situation, stated that that DPP should be strictly directed to start issuing the import permit in order to save the business community from severe losses and discourage smuggling of these products.
He also appealed Customs Department, Custom Intelligence, Custom DID, Custom AIB to immediately stop smuggling of betalnut through Afghan Transit Trade and save the importers from complete collapse. He reiterated that the ban imposed on imports of betalnut, coconut powder, tamarind and other items by DPP has to be immediately lifted on top priority in order to provide relief to perturbed importers.
For more information, contact:
Head Office,
Pakistan Kiryana Merchants Association
Office No 16, 1st Floor, NP-12, Hussain Centre, Daryalal Street,
Jodia Bazar, Karachi, Pakistan
Tel: +92-21-32412350
Fax: +92-21-32412351
Email: secretary@pakistankiryana.com
Website: http://pakistankiryana.com/