Customs Dept earns Rs 176 cr in 2015-16 fiscal

Neeraj Bagga

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 23

The Customs Department earned Rs 176 crore duty on products imported through the Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Attari Wagah border during the 2015-16 fiscal.

Sources in the department said Indian traders were importing dry fruit, cement, gypsum and other products through the ICP.

Import and export of merchandise through the ICP at the India-Pakistan international border has dipped considerably during the past two months.

Though the Customs Department managed to achieve its target, the fiscal ending on March 31 was not a good one from the business point of view.

Exchange of goods has remained sluggish at the border. Demand for dry fruit dipped in the Indian market. Dry fruit importers were forced to scale down their orders in Afghanistan and Pakistan markets keeping in view the low demand from retailers.

Among imported items, cement holds the maximum share. As many as 40 truckloads of cement and gypsum used to be imported from Pakistan every day. However, the number has decreased considerably as the price of local cement has plummeted thus making its import unprofitable.

Similarly, export of soyabean to Pakistan plummeted to 100 truck loads during the past months this year. Otherwise, as many as 400 trucks laden with soyabean used to cross over to Pakistan every month.

Officials in the Customs Department stated that there was 35 per cent fall in the exchange of commodities from the ICP at Attari. However, it does not translate precisely in terms of revenue, which fell by around 10 per cent. Increase in the rate of dollar in international market hiked the customs duty proportionately.

One of the leading importers at the ICP, Rajan Bedi, said over a month long protests against the sacrilege and desecration of Guru Granth Sahib across the state had hit the movement of cargo. Many pending orders were cancelled causing immense loss to traders.

Cement imported from Pakistan was supplied to Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab, he added.

Dwindling orders for cement and dry fruits has also exposed undercurrent of recessionary trends and sluggishness in the national economy. On the other hand, rising value of dollar against the Indian rupee is jacking up importers investment.