Faisalabad Dry Port: Rs 44,960 million exports, Rs 15,626 million imports handled during 11 months

The Faisal-abad Customs Collectorate handled exports worth Rs 44,960 million during the first 11 months of the current fiscal year, while imports consignments having value of Rs 15,626 million arrived at the Faisalabad Dry Port during this period.
This was stated by Khawar Farid Manika, Collector, Model Customs Collectorate, while talking to the probation officers of the 36th Common Training Programme during their visit to the Faisalabad Dry Port, here on Monday. Highlighting functions of the Model Customs Collectorate, the Collector said they were mainly responsible to handle imports, exports, and to check smuggling.
High Speed Diesel, machinery and parts, dyes and chemicals, computer equipment and items relating to textile and ancillary industries were major imports at the dry port, while blended fabrics, cotton fabrics, textiles, made-ups, garments, blended yarn and cotton yarn were major exports from Faisalabad, he said.
The Collector Customs said Faisalabad was a hub of textile industry and a major source of foreign exchange earning of about $10.5 billion. Almost all sections of the Model Customs Collectorate had been computerised, and the whole process of imports had been automated, he added.
He further said the facility of filing of GD through website had also been provided to importers. Similarly, clearance of exports had also been made fully automated, he added. Manika said main reason for the decline of imports at Faisalabad was slow economic activity in the country. About anti-smuggling operations, the Collector Customs said raids were conducted on information-based detection.
He said major items seized by the Customs included non-duty paid/smuggled vehicles, jewellery, tyres, tea, fabrics, auto parts and liquor. Manika said they had embarked upon a security plan for the Faisalabad Dry Port by promptly developing Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT).
FDPT Chairman, Sheikh Ashfaq Ahmed told the CTC Probationers that the Faisalabad Dry Port was an ISO certified dry port and its certification under CTPAT was under progress. He said the dry port was handling about 33,000 export cargo containers and 5,500 import consignments having worth Rs 80 billion per annum, but cargo handling at the dry port had declined by 40 percent due to political turmoil, economic instability and severe power and gas load shedding.
He said this port had emerged as the biggest dry port of the country (volume and value wise) within a short span of 14 years. A documentary pertaining to systematic development of Faisalabad Dry Port and phenomenal growth of the Faisalabad city was shown to Probation Officers. Additional Collector Customs Dr Saud Imran, and FDPT Vice Chairman Muhammad Saeed Sheikh, presented shields to Chaudhry Muhammad Sharif, the leader of the delegation.