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Drug checks: ANF to exempt fruits and vegetable
exports to Saudi Arabia
KARACHI (April 28
2004): The Anti-Narcotic Force (ANF) is to exempt
fruit and vegetable export consignments of
bona-fide exporters destined for Saudi Arabia on
undertaking provided by their associations.
This was agreed at a meeting between the ANF and
Fruits and Vegetable Processors and Exporters'
Association held here on Monday.
The ANF official informed the exporters that the
anti-narcotics checking of consignments for Saudi
Arabia had been introduced at Port Qasim under
strict instructions from the Interior Ministry in
Islamabad, after a complaint from Saudi Arabia,
that heroin had been found in the export
consignments from Pakistan.
The official, however, made it clear that drug
instances were not related to the fruits and
vegetable consignments.
Mateen Siddiqui of the Fruits and Vegetable
Processors and Exporters' Association informed the
ANF the fruit exporters had no objection to the
drug checking carried out by de-stuffing of
containers.
But, he said, during the checking of the
containers, loaded with perishable contents,
including green stuff, they remained lying in the
sun. As a result, the contents in the containers
were damaged, causing substantial loss to the
exporters.
He suggested that either the checking should be
carried out during low temperature, especially at
night, or at the godown of the exporters, where
the loading could be supervised by the ANF staff
for putting their seal on the containers.
The ANF official appreciated the proposal, but
said due to the shortage of the staff, it would be
difficult to assign the staff to a number of
godowns for supervising the loading.
The meeting agreed to a system of exemption from
drug checks as practised by the Customs.
The ANF would design a performa for exemption of
anti-narcotics checks, which would be duly signed
by the respective exporters' association,
certifying that the consignment belonged to a
bona-fide exporter, who had a clean record,
vis-à-vis drug trafficking.
The meeting, which was arranged by Pakistan
Horticulture Export Development Board (Phedb), was
attended, among others, by Mateen Siddiqui, Yousuf
Abdul Rahman and Mohammad Iqbal.
Courtesy Business Recorder
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Pakissan.com; Advisory Point
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