Expert ask FG to remove bottleneck for exporters in ports

Experts in the non-oil sector have called upon the Federal government to remove the bottlenecks that hinder smooth pre-shipment processes for exporters at the ports in Nigeria.

Speaking recently in Abuja, Mr Sriram Venkateswaran, the Chairman of Fullmarce Group, expressed concerns about regulatory agencies that create obstacles for exporters by imposing different inspection schedules on products before export.

He lamented that it takes a minimum of two weeks for a single container to be loaded onto a vessel. If a container is loaded in less than two weeks, it’s seen as a rare stroke of luck. Venkateswaran highlighted that the prolonged clearance process benefits shipping companies, but it impoverishes Nigerians as the country loses value for agricultural products due to quality issues.

Furthermore, he emphasized that Nigerian exporters are burdened by interest payments to banks, and they are at the mercy of agents who make post-shipment documentation collection a challenge, which ultimately affects Nigeria’s export volume.

Venkateswaran explained that different countries have varying regulations regarding post-shipment documentation. In some cases, exporters encounter difficulties due to format discrepancies. He advocated for establishing a single window for both pre-shipment and post-shipment documentation. This streamlined process would enable exporters to manage their paperwork and expedite their transactions efficiently.

He also mentioned that while this transformation may not happen overnight, it is feasible and should be implemented with the goal of providing exporters with a seamless and time-saving documentation process under a single window system.

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