Consumer food products: over 40 big consignments lying un-cleared at Karachi Port, PQ

Over 40 big consignments of consumer food products are lying un-cleared by customs authorities at Karachi Port and Port Qasim due to non-printing of ingredients of the food products on imported consumer packing. In this connection, the chief collector of Customs Appraisement South Karachi has written a letter to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Member Customs (Operations) here on Monday.
The FBR officials told Business Recorder that FBR will have to take the matter with the Ministry of Commerce for condonation of the said condition in genuine hardship cases. The blocked consignments belong to both the importers and multinational companies, which need immediate attention and the issue needs to be taken up with the Commerce Ministry.
According to the chief collector of Customs Appraisement South Karachi, Ministry of Commerce, vide SRO 23(I)/2019 dated Feb 19, 2019 has introduced the condition of printing the ingredients and details of the food products (e.g. nutritional facts, usage instructions, logo of Halah certificate body etc) in Urdu and English languages on the consumer packing.
Over 40 such consignments of food products in consumer packing hit by the aforesaid condition are lying uncleared at Karachi Port and Port Qasim.
Moreover, shipments of major importers of food stuff are in pipelines including multinational companies. Some importers have filed goods declarations but even these consignments cannot be released for not fulfilling the IPO conditions.
The importers are agitating that orders for their shipments had already been placed when the amendment in Import Policy was notified and that the ministry should allow condonation of the condition of printing in Urdu of ingredients and details of the food products on the consumer packing. In view of the genuine hardship of the importers and to ensure due collection of revenue, the Board may like to take up the matter with the Ministry of Commerce for issuing suitable instructions in this regard, the chief collector of customs added.