KARACHI, May 13: The Central Board of Revenue (CBR) is going to implement Automated Clearance Procedure (ACP) within a fortnight which will facilitate exporters for speedy clearance of low risk export items. Member (Export), CBR, Zafar-ul-Majeed speaking at the inaugural ceremony of Universal Goods Declaration Filing System (UGDFS) at Export Terminal (M I Yard) West Wharf here on Friday said that all facilitation would be given to exporters to ensure quick clearance of export consignments.

He said presently the ACP was under trial and would be implemented soon to maximize facilitation of exports. The member said more measures would be taken to further facilitate exports of the country.

Under the ACP, he said, profiling of exporters and items would be carried out and this would help for faster and quicker clearance of goods meant for exports. “The ACP will allow customs to make low risk items cleared with immediate affect,” he added.

The UGDFS will facilitate exporters, customs agents and investors to file their goods declaration (GD) forms for consignments due to be exported from Port Qasim and Karachi Export Processing Zone, at the Customer Facilitation Centre, located at the West Wharf, Karachi Port.

“This facility is going to ease the work of stakeholders and will also save time as processing of GD will take hardly 15 minutes against four hours consumed by moving up to Port Qasim which is around 54 km from the city,” the member said. Karachi Customs Agents Group President Farukh Saleem Shaikh speaking on the occasion said that it was a revolutionary step, which would not only make export consignments cleared faster and quicker but would also save time.

In the past, he said, the clearing had to go to Port Qasim to get the GD processed and this consumed around four hours to a full day as he had to travel around 220 km in total to get the loaded truck with export consignments enter the port.

But with the introduction of the UGDFS now only 15 minutes would be needed to get the GD processing from the West Wharf, he said. Zafar-ul-Majeed also visited various sections of the wharf and appreciated the role of Fida Muhammad (Project manager PRAL) and his team for developing software for the UGDFS and establishing the computer system at the West Wharf.