PSQCA launches licence to speed up consignment clearance

KARACHI: Pakistan Standard Quality and Control Authority (PSQCA) has launched foreign manufacturing license (FML) to facilitate foreign investors and local trade in clearing their imported consignments.
“The availability of FML will be an alternative to authority’s certificate for speedy clearance of imported consignments at customs stage,” Muhammad Khalid Siddiq, Director General, PSQCA, said at a meeting with members of Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) on Thursday.
Siddiq said the FML had been introduced on the complaints of foreign investors and multinational companies operating in Pakistan that they were facing difficulties in clearing their imported consignments due to delay in issuance of Pakistan Standard Quality and Control Authority certificates.
The MNCs were complaining that they had to obtain quality control certificate each time for continuous import of the same item, he added. Siddiq asked the FPCCI members that local regular importers could also avail this facility. However, he warned that despite issuance of FML the authority could take random sampling for testing. FPCCI members raised an issue that many manufacturers and companies had obtained ISO certificate yet there was requirement of PSQCA certificates for import or exports.
The DG said that ISO certificate was meaningless for the authority as it worked as per parameter set by the county.
The business community pointed out the delays in issuance of certificates by the authority, as in some cases it took about two years. The DG said the timing could be discussed, but clarified that un-tested or unverified items would not be certified for clearance.
He said the authority had introduced QR code for its issued certificates, which helped in eliminating fake certificates. Siddiq said that to promote exports, he advised the exporters to follow WTO standards, which were available with the PSQCA.
He also said the authority was taking measures to reduce timing for issuance of certificates for exports. Besides, he said the Pakistan Standard Quality and Control Authority would issue certificates online using WeBOC - Pakistan Customs online portal - to further speed up clearance.
He said linkage with WeBOC would be created by the end of December 2017. Arshad Jamal, of the FPCCI committee on Customs, highlighted issues pertaining to Pakistan Standard Quality and Control Authority and said the authority should issue guidelines for certifying goods such as CKD vehicles. He further urged the DG to ensure returning of samples of goods, especially luxury goods, obtained by the officials for test reports.