Textile quota exporters are unable to start new year exports as the inefficient and lethargic Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) has not yet got printed Category Pass Books (CPB).
Most of the exporters expressed frustration over the non-availability of CPBs in the absence of which they can not make their shipments for 2004.
Abdul Hamid, exporter of made-ups to Europe, said that his consignment for Europe was ready but he can not ship the goods as CPBs have not yet been printed by the EPB.
Muhammad Ishaq, of a leading bed linen export company, said that his company has a huge turnover of bed linen export for Europe, USA and Turkey. It has working scheme of year round shipments with its buyers and its exports are not subject to cut dates of December 31 but is a continuous process.
He said that it was quite strange that the company could not dispatch its consignments simply because of non-printing of CPBs.
The printing of CPBs is not a new thing for the EPB and there has not been any change in the format.
Yet the Bureau did not get the job done in time, said Muhammad Javed, a leading knit exporter.
The only plausible reason appears to be negligence and disregard of the importance of continuity and smooth flow of exports, he said.
Ijaz Ahmad, exporter of hospital linen and other made-ups, said that he has held back his completed consignments for fear of demurrage and apprehending that the EPB would take long to print the necessary documents and to issue necessary instructions for new year's shipments.
He said that past experience with EPB has taught him to expect the unexpected. It was in this context that he had held back 2004 shipments, he added.
Yet another exporter lamented the refusal of EPB to issue visa without original M R It is common knowledge that Faisalabad exporters' consignments take three days to reach Karachi port and the exercise of putting goods on board takes another two days and issuing of M R and its arrival at Faisalabad takes additional three days.
Thus, the upcountry exporters get M R in 8 to 10 days. Hence it is not possible for them to produce the original M R urgently. The EPB, however, being unmindful of these constraints arbitrarily imposed ban on issuing visas without production of original M.R.
These half hearted measures would have a dampening effect on export front, he said.
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