The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has said that improper packaging of export products is a major hindrance to the nation’s dream of building its economy through exportation.
The Customs Area Controller in charge of Tin Can 2 Command of Nigeria Customs Service, Comptroller Mahmud Dalhat, disclosed this on Tuesday in an interview with newsmen in Lagos.
The Area Controller also described the command as the only command that has the full equipment to handle goods being prepared for export, describing the command as only one having a complete export processing bay. He also charged importers to take advantage of the facilities in the terminal and patronize the terminal.
“The export has been going on smoothly but the issue is still packaging and other issues. There have been about three or four yam exports and since then the agents have not been coming with yam export again. But I think they are trying to strategies because of the packaging of the product”
“Tin Can 11 does not export, we only processed the export, and the Ministry of Agriculture decided to start that here probably because of the facilities here. This is the only command that has complete export processing bay, this is a bay that you can bring in your consignment from truck, it will be stopped in the presence of all the security agencies, and they have the facilities”
“You can come here and apply for an officer to go and do outside stuffing because in outside stuffing is not all the security officers that will be present. Though it comes with its own problem we have told the importers to bring their consignments here so that instead of paying double, paying for terminal operators and all that, here is just like one stop shop, the bay is here and everything is here. Here after stuffing, the container will be seen, then they will pass there declaration and they move on for export”
The Lillypond customs boss also charged the Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) to live up to their bidding by ensuring that materials used for the exportation of these goods are properly certified.
Also speaking on the command's revenue drive, the command boss added that it collected a total of 2.3 billion Naira revenue in the month of May, 2018 as against 1.6 billion Naira in April same year.
The figure according to him represents 158% surplus of the monthly target of the command.
He also said that more than 90% of the total revenue generated at the command is from the free trade zone.
“This is just like an extension of AP Muller because it is indirectly under the control and supervision of AP Moller in Apapa. Most of the transfers come from Apapa to this place though we do have some that comes from free trade zone. Most of the revenues come from the free trade zone not from Lillypond as a terminal. 90-95% of the revenue comes from the free trade zone, most of the consignment comes from the Apapa area that is just the major area we are making most of our revenue”
He also attributed the success of the command so far in realizing its monthly target to close monitoring, proper supervision and trade facilitation adding that operations in the free trade zone is different from what is obtained at customs zones.
Compt Dalhat, also said that the free trade zone has also helped in the reduction of unemployment in the country and has helped the federal government especially purchasing foreign exchange.
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