Quarantine for raw materials slammed

KARACHI: Pakistan Leather Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (Plgmea) on Tuesday demanded the government to remove the condition of quarantine on import of raw material for the leather industry.

Plgmea chairman Hassan Ali Bhatti expressed concern regarding issuance of SRO-1067 through which Animal Quarantine Department of Ministry of National Food Security and Research has imposed quarantine on the majority of food items, and raw hide and skin, including wet blue of goat/sheep/lamb, cow and buffalo skins.

He urged the ministry of commerce to remove the import condition from the basic raw materials for the industry. “It has now become a big problem for the leather industry, which imports a large quantity of this basic raw material for necessary value-addition that earns valuable foreign exchange,” he said.

The proposed quarantine would certainly cause delays in clearance at ports in Pakistan, resultantly increasing demurrage and ultimately production cost, which was already exorbitant compared to regional competitors, the chairman said.

“Our member exporters would become uncompetitive in the international market for selling the finished leather,” he further added.

He said that these raw materials were already covered with necessary ‘quarantine certificate’ at origin at the export stage.

“It is also obligatory for the importers to submit the health/quarantine certificate at the time of import of raw materials from destination into Pakistan,” he said. Therefore, submitting the health/quarantine certificate again in Pakistan would cause duplication.