Agri-products export, import via Chennai Port badly hit

The unnecessary delay in granting clearances by the Plant Quarantine (PQ) Department for import and export of agricultural products via Chennai Port has badly affected the EXIM business, stakeholders involved in the trade said.

If the current situation persists for a few more months, most of the agricultural products like maize, wheat, rice, groundnuts, chillies, coconut fibre and cocopeat, which are being exported to different countries via Chennai Port through thousands of containers every month, would be shifted to other ports in neighbouring States, they warned.

Traders involved in the export and import of agri-products have revealed that the situation has turned from bad to worse in the last fortnight, as most of the containers, including the imported perishable items like fruits are stuck due to unwarranted delay in clearance from PQ Department.

Speaking about the unfolding crisis, a trader said that it takes only four days (of voyage) to get a consignment of perishable goods from East-Asian countries up to Chennai Port, but it takes more than five days to get the consignment cleared by PQ due to several reasons.

According to estimates, about 16,000 containers (TEUs) of agri-products like maize, wheat, rice, groundnuts, chillies, coconut fibre and cocopeat valued at several crores are exported to different countries through Chennai Port every month. Likewise, about 6,000 TEUs of timbers, wooden logs, different types of pulses, varieties of fruit items and perishable goods are imported via Chennai Port every month.

For exporting or importing such agri-products, PQ Department is mandated by the Ministry of Agriculture to give clearances in the form of certificates.

The PQ’s regional office located at Meenambakkam issues the certificates – Phyto Sanitary Certificates (PSC) are issued to indicate that consignments of plants, plant products or other regulated articles meet specified phyto sanitary import requirements and import clearance for all the agri-products that are being imported to the country.

Expressing his anguish over the unwarranted delay in issuing clearances, a trader, who exports agri-products through Chennai, said: “Though the PQ Department is created only to serve the public trade and help boost trade, its Chennai regional office is showing negative response to the trade by putting too many restrictions and penalizing the exporters, importers and Custom House Agents (CHAs).”

“In Maharashtra, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh and even in other stations in Tamil Nadu like Trichy and Tuticorin, the PQ Department issues all the necessary certificates almost immediately, but we don’t know why indifferent treatment is being meted out to genuine EXIM traders,” another trader said.

 SOLUTION

 According to traders, setting up of a dedicated PQ office at Chennai Port would reduce the problem to a certain extent.

It may be noted here that PQ office was located in Royauram till 1999 and after that it was shifted to Meenambakkam, near Chennai Airport.

Though the PQ Department expressed its inability to set up a unit office in Chennai Port under a senior officer, who can issue certificates, citing manpower constraints, we think such move would only solve the problem, traders said.

 APPEAL

 In a fervent appeal to the Union Shipping Minister, Mr. G. K. Vasan, representatives of the agri-prouduct exporters and importers have asked him to intervene in the matter as Chennai Port is stand to lose its valuable agri cargoes to other ports, if not addressed immediately.

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