Business News of 2013-03-19

Perishable products importers require permits

Importers of frozen and perishable products are to ensure proper documentations on their consignments to aid easy clearance of the cargoes at the country’s ports.

According to the Corporate Services Manager at Gateway Services Limited (GSL), Ms Amma Addo, the very items which at the time of examination are in good condition could become unwholesome during the clearing process if appropriate documentations were not made readily available.

Ms Addo made the call at a sensitisation forum organised by GSL, a destination inspection company, for importers of frozen and perishable products in Tema.

Officials from the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and the Ministry of Trade and importers attended the one-day seminar aimed at ensuring compliance in the clearing process.

Ms Addo indicated that the programme had become necessary in line with GSL’s quest to ensure its clients adhered to compliance in the country’s food safety regulations. “Much as we want to address delays in the clearing system, we also want to ensure that perishable goods are handled properly before it gets to the consumer,” she said.

A Chief Collector at the Ghana Revenue Authority in charge of outdoor collection at the Tema Port, Mr Nicholas Okporah, expressed worry that clearing agents often came to clear consignments with no permit from the FDA, GSA and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) to ensure the safety of such products.

“A more alarming situation is when agents give a general description to all items in a container to be cleared when the containers may actually contain different products ranging from chicken and turkey wings, among others,” Mr Okporah said.

He also charged importers and their agents to ensure application for premises inspection of products were done on time to avoid unnecessary delays.

The Head of Import and Export Division of the FDA, Mr Yaw Kwarteng, for his part, lamented that importers of perishable consignments applied for FDA permit at the last minute after the containers of such products were ready to be carted away from the port.

The Head of Trade Facilitation at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Mr Kwame Ntim Donkor, announced that the ministry, in collaboration with the Ghana Community Network Services Limited (GCNet), would introduce a web-based electronic application system for government departments and agencies to aid the clearing process.

That, he said, was also in line with strategies to eliminate paperless clearing procedures.

Currently, Mr Donkor said that stakeholder consultation and public sensitisation were being done and was hopeful the system would be in place by July this year.