LAHORE (March 02 2003) : The Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) has issued a directive to the concerned authorities to deduct the quota of the exporters, who have sent their shipments to the European countries after the exhaust of quota, and thence their consignments are lying there 'un-presented'.
“With this directive of the EPB more than 1200 exporters would be affected, who were already suffering due to the fact that their consignments got stuck up and hence demurrage charges, owing to the sheer negligence of the Ministry of Commerce,” it was learnt here on Friday.
Details revealed that after the 9/11 incident the European Union (EU) enhanced the textile quota of Pakistan and hence the EPB issued visas to the exporters for the categories 6, 9 and 20 for the year 2001 and 2002.
The EPB authorities hardly bothered that the EU quota had exhausted and issued visas to the exporters for sending their shipments, which now got stuck up for the last two months.
Though the matter was brought to the notice of Commerce Minister Humayun Akhtar during his Brussels visit two months back, the Commerce Ministry failed to resolve the issue amicably.
The business community flayed the lethargic attitude of the Commerce Ministry and of the EPB.
The exporters were of the view that if the quota had exhausted then why the EPB issued visas in such a number.
However in case of exhaustion the EPB could have converted the shipments into some other categories to facilitate the exporters.
They, however, feared the country would not be able to achieve the set target of exports if such an attitude continue.
