Import of steel products into Pakistan has been linked with Conformity Assessment Report (CAR)/ license under PSQCA Act 1996. Industry sources told Business Recorder Thursday that recently Pakistan Standards Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) has issued a cautionary public notice to all steel importers of bars, billets, etc, that it is compulsory under the law for all foreign steel manufacturers to obtain a license for the export of steel items with the distinctive PSQCA marking.
"The importers of steel products are hereby warned that as per section 14 of PSQCA Act and Para 5(B) (ii) of the Import Policy, all foreign manufacturers of steel products including steel bars, steel billets, etc, are required to obtain Conformity Assessment Report (CAR) and proper permission for exporting goods to Pakistan under PSQCA Act 1996," the notice said. Such license/CAR will be provided by PSQCA after due diligence and inspection of the manufacturing facility of the foreign company that desires to export steel to Pakistan, it added.
Sources said that it's an international practice that quality certificate and license is necessary for import of goods. This is not the new law or initiative being introduced by PSQCA as it has already been implemented throughout the world, they added. Pakistan's cement industry faced huge hurdles when it initiated cement export to India, Sri Lanka and Africa. The Indian Customs Department did not clear several Pakistani cement consignments because the manufacturers were not licensed by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and cement bags did not have the distinctive Indian Standard mark. Later, BIS officials visited the cement plants set up in Pakistan for quality assurance to allow Pakistani manufacturers to export cement to India.
Similar is the case with many other products which are being exported by Pakistan to various countries and exporters in Pakistan are required to obtain various kinds of production and product certifications from host country and international institutions, they added.
Industry sources said that PSQCA measures will go a long way in helping Pakistan to rapidly industrialise and bring in badly needed investment in the steel industry which will provide jobs to unemployed youth and qualified engineers as Pakistan has produced engineers and technicians in very large numbers but they have no jobs due to slow industrialisation.
"This measure will allow the steel industry in Pakistan to produce high quality steel products such as steel bars, billets, etc, as per approved PSQCA standards," they added. Industry sources said strict implementation of approved PSQCA steel standards for imported and local steel products will also help prevent dumping of sub-standard steel products in Pakistani market and this will lead to import quality steel products in the country.
Several times large shiploads of consignments of rejected steel bars from UAE were offered to Pakistani market as these steel products were not being in conformity with their approved standards, they said. Twisted bars have been phased out by PSQCA a few years back and the grace period of over 5 years has also passed but it is unfortunate that sub-standard twisted steel bars are still being manufactured and marketed in Pakistan, sources said.
It's the government and Building Control Authority's responsibility to ensure the use of such products, which are properly approved by PSQCA, they said and urged PSQCA and Building Control Authorities not to approve/allow Grade 40 steel bars. They added that only high strength and high quality steel bars be allowed as per their standards.