GILGIT: The Gilgit-Baltistan traders have welcomed the decision to operationalise a green channel at the Sost Dry Port to facilitate cross-border trade in agricultural and allied products between Pakistan and China through the Khunjerab Pass.
The traders said the facility would enhance trade between the two countries and ease difficulties faced by local traders in importing and exporting agricultural products, fruits and dry fruits.
Last month, Pakistan and China signed an agreement to operationalise a Green Channel at the Sost-Khunjerab borderfor agricultural and allied products to facilitate bilateral trade.
Afsar Jan, deputy general secretary of the Gilgit-Baltistan Importers and Exporters Association, said GB traders had been facing multiple difficulties in importing and exporting goods between Pakistan and China. He said traders in the region had to pay high transportation charges and other expenses to move goods between the two countries through the highest paved internationalborder crossing.
‘The loading and unloading of agricultural products, fruits and dry fruits, as well as the joint examination and customs clearance processes at Sost Dry Port and Tashkurgan in China, cause damage to products andconsume considerable time,’ he said.
He said local traders had to face financial losses, while many products were at risk of expiring in case of delays in clearance at Sost Dry Port.
Anwar Ali of the GB Customs Clearance Agents Association said operationalising a green channel for fruits and agricultural products at Sost Dry Port had been a longstanding demand of GB traders.
He said the facility would help speed up the clearance of perishable items, adding that localtradershadsufferedlosses worth billions of rupees in the past due to clearance delays for various reasons.
He said the move would increase exports of Pakistaniproducts, fruits and agricultural items to China and Central Asian countries. He demanded that the green channel be operationalised for all products, allowing consignments containing different items to be cleared through a single process, as atotherports.
Local traders said import and export activities between Pakistan and China through the Khunjerab Pass had increased. They said the special attention of Member Customs Operations Islamabad Syed Shakeel Shah and Chief Collector Pakistan Customs North Abdul Waheed Murwat had contributed to the operationalisation of the green channel for agricultural products and fruits at Sost Dry Port.They added that the officials had taken measures to boost cross-border trade.
GB traders appreciated customs officials for resolving their longstanding issues. Haji Liaquat Ali, a trader, said recent policies had increased trade volume through the Khunjerab Pass.
The Khunjerab Pass connects Gilgit-Baltistan with China’s Xinjiang region and is the highest paved international border crossing at 15,500 feet above sea level. Under the border protocol agreement signed between the two countries in 1985, the pass remains open for travel and trade from April to November. During winter, trade and travel are hampered by heavy snowfall.