Congestion not behind rice import delays, says Customs
The Bureau of Customs (BoC) clarified that rice shipments at Manila ports are awaiting consignees to pay taxes and complete documentation, denying claims of port congestion. Most shipments have been cleared, with a few still pending. Meanwhile, rice imports in the Philippines have exceeded 3.0 million metric tons as of mid-September, surpassing last year’s total.
RICE imports that are accumulating at Manila ports cannot yet be released as consignees still have to pay the required taxes and complete other requirements, the Bureau of Customs (BoC) said during the weekend.
“[T]he rice shipments are ready for release once consignees fulfill their responsibilities, and the accumulation at the ports is not due to any delay caused by congestion,” the BoC said in statement responding to the Department of Agriculture (DA) chief’s claim that port congestion was delaying releases and were keeping rice prices high.
The bureau said that at the Port of Manila, 237 out of 258 containers of rice in the yard had already been cleared after duty and tax payments. The remaining 21 containers, meanwhile, had their goods declarations filed on Friday and were still being processed.
At the Manila International Container Port, 630 containers are still in the yard with 492 cleared for release and 138 pending duty and tax payments.
Customs chief Bienvenido Rubio said that none of the shipments had exceeded a limit set in the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, which states that importers must claim their shipments within 30 days of paying duties and taxes or these will be declaredabandoned.
“The Bureau of Customs remains committed to ensuring that the release of rice shipments follows the legal procedures without unnecessary delays,” Rubio said.
“We urge consignees to act promptly to avoid further disruptions. The BoC stands ready to enforce abandonment proceedings as mandated by law if goods remain unclaimed.”
As this developed, latest DA data showed that rice imports had topped 3.0 million metric tons (MT) as of mid-September, higher than the 2.6 million MT recorded a year earlier.
In a report, the DA’s Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) said from September 1 to 12 alone, rice shipments from abroad had reached 117,912 MT, while 387,862 MT came in a month earlier.
Source Link : https://www.manilatimes.net/2024/09/23/business/top-business/congestion-not-behind-rice-import-delays-says-customs/1973345
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