President of Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) Junaid Esmail Makda has expressed deep concern over unnecessary hindrances being created by the Department of Plant Protection (DPP) in smooth clearance of consignments of various commodities, including pulses due to which heavy demurrage and detention charges were causing huge losses to importers.
Referring to a meeting with a delegation from Pakistan Pulses Importers Association (PPIA) held recently to discuss this particular issue, KCCI president pointed out that although the relevant importers had been supplying these commodities without any trouble for last many years yet DPP has started demanding for last one-and-a-half year to produce the phyto-sanitary certificate in which Non-GMO (Genetically Modified Crop) must be mentioned.
"It is purely an unjust demand as the Pakistan Plant Quarantine Act 1976 and Pakistan Quarantine Rules 1967 remain silent about the Non-GMO requirement," he said, adding that despite being an agricultural country, Pakistan has been importing pulses and other commodities for past many years due to excessive demand of these commodities and limited local production. However, importers, instead of being appreciated for ensuring smooth supply of essential commodities in the local markets, were being penalized by creating such hurdles, he lamented.
Junaid Makda demanded necessary amendments or some kind of clarification from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, in this regard. He was of the view that Quarantine Departments of the exporting countries should be advised to write Non-GMO in the phyto-sanitary certificates as it has been observed that only a few countries mention Non-GMO in phyto-sanitary certificates while many others simply do not mention it in the said certificate, making it difficult for Pakistani importers to fulfill this condition laid down by DPP operating under the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.
The KCCI president suggested that until the relevant regulations are not amended and streamlined, the importers of numerous commodities should be allowed to continue importing on previous terms and conditions up to December 2018.
"The Quarantine Departments of the exporting countries should also be requested to clearly mention Non-GMO in phyto-sanitary certificates and if they fail to do so, the importers should not be held responsible for incompetence and inefficiency of someone else," he said.