Exporters are worried, the matter has been brought to the notice of the Prime Minister, Zubair Motiwala. Photo file
Karachi: Local exporters have been alarmed by the sudden fourfold increase in tariffs on stress fruits imported from Afghanistan by Pakistan.
The Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce, while rationalizing the duty tariff, has demanded cooperation and emergency measures from Prime Minister Imran Khan for direct access of Pakistani trucks to Central Asian states through Afghanistan.
Sources said that the sudden increase in tariffs of stress fruits imported from Pakistan by the Afghan government has shaken the confidence of the business community in increasing business costs and maintaining the country’s exports.
In a meeting with Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce Chairman Zubair Motiwala, Sargodha traders expressed their concerns, saying that Afghan customs officials were levying a tax of Rs. 1.3 million per container of canoe with a total weight of 35 tons. Which was Rs 3 lakh last season.
“Given the current situation, if exporters have to bear such a financial loss that when exports have already declined by 32 per cent over the previous year, it will have a direct negative impact on farmers,” he said. Will fall.
In addition, the production of lemons to Central Asian countries via Afghanistan is not allowed in Pakistani trucks, which has been a part of mutual arrangements. This is not only increasing the cost but also affecting the quality of production during cross stuffing of cargo.
Zubair Motiwala said that this important issue has been brought to the notice of the Prime Minister as it has affected the national interest and delay in its redressal could have devastating effects on the overall economy.
