KARACHI: The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) has demanded the activation of the Risk Management Systems (RMS) of the Department of Plant Protection (DPP), the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) and other government agencies.
Atif Ikram Sheikh, president of the FPCCI, while commending the government for its digital transformation plan to facilitate trade in Pakistan, including the implementation of faceless assessment and the pre-arrival facility through a post-payment mechanism, highlighted that despite these improvements, challenges still persist in the regulatory sphere of imports and exports. Although the majority of regulatory trade is being managed through the Pakistan Single Window (PSW) and major OGAs (Other Government Agencies) have been integrated with the PSW, consignments are still being cleared only after mandatory inspections, unnecessarily.
He proposed that the Risk Management Systems of the Department of Plant Protection, the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority and other relevant OGAs should be activated on the pattern of customs. The implementation of RMS by these government departments can further streamline import and export processes, reduce unnecessary inspections, minimise dwell time and enhance the ease of doing business in Pakistan.
Saquib Fayyaz Magoon, senior vice president of the FPCCI, maintained that several challenges and teething problems were initially faced when the faceless assessment system was deployed. However, after the posting of Chief Collector Wajid Ali and his continuous consultation with trade and industry, a number of genuine issues have since been addressed. The faceless assessment process is now significantly benefiting trade and industry, and the dwell time of consignments is gradually reducing as well, he added.
