Importers’ Chamber: Pre-Declare System a Trade Barrier, Must Be Cancelled

Port Sudan – Sudanhorizon

The National Chamber of Importers, offshoot of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce, held a press conference Thursday, at the Federation’s headquarters in Port Sudan, to highlight the obstacles facing import sector and the direct impact on peoples’ livelihoods.

The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Trade and Supply, Awad Salam, emphasized that the Ministry’s primary role at this stage is to ensure the availability of basic commodities for citizens at fair prices and to prevent food shortages resulting from import disruptions.

He described the national platform “Our Homelan-BALADNA” as a “purely national project” aimed at digitizing and facilitating foreign trade, and providing the necessary transparency to monitor the flow of goods and prevent speculation and smuggling.

The Undersecretary noted that there are open channels of communication with the Federation of Chambers of Commerce to overcome procedural obstacles, particularly those related to customs duties and taxes, while striving to adopt policies that balance encouraging local production with facilitating the import of essential inputs. For his part, the head of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce, Ali Salah, supported the move towards digitalization through the “Baladna” platform, but strongly warned against continuing to implement the “Advance Declaration of Shipments” (ACD) system, considering it an obstacle incompatible with the desired facilitations.

In the same vein, the head of the Importers Chamber, Al-Sadiq Jalal Al-Din, announced a firm stance, with the Chamber categorically rejecting the ACD system, describing it as “a clear threat to national security and information security,” in addition to being a technical and administrative obstacle that disrupts the flow of goods.

Jalal Al-Din intensified his attack on the customs dollar policies, revealing its increase from 560 pounds to 2,807 pounds, indicating that despite this increase, customs revenues have recorded a significant decline. He emphasized that this “outrageous increase” has revived the “shadow economy” and customs evasion due to importers’ inability to bear the official costs, in addition to eroding purchasing power and creating rampant inflation, the price of which is paid by the ordinary citizen. The head of the chamber pointed out that the economic policies implemented since 2018 have failed to achieve stability, as the fluctuating exchange rate has led to a continuous decline in the value of the Sudanese pound. He explained that current inflation figures do not reflect a genuine decrease, but rather a cumulative increase on top of previously crippling inflation.

Importers called on the government to conduct an immediate and comprehensive review of economic policies, emphasizing that the import sector is the backbone for providing essential goods, and that the continuation of these obstacles undermines economic development and the well-being of society.

Shortlink: https://sudanhorizon.com/?p=10655