Stakeholders in the clearance process at the ports have called on government through the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to extend the validity period of import permits for the importation of frozen foods into the country.

The stakeholders encapsulating the Ghana Shipper’s Authority, the Ship Owners and Agents Association of Ghana, the Foods and Drugs Authority, the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority and the Ghana Standards Authority among others were unanimous in their call for the extension of the current 3 month period to 6 months.

The stakeholder consultative meeting which was at the instance of the Ghana Shippers Authority sought to provide a platform for the Authority and the various government agencies involved in the clearance of goods and who operate along the logistics chain to discuss and proffer solutions to the challenges facing shippers in the country.

Head of Shipper services at the Ghana Shippers Authority, Mrs. Naa Densua Aryeetey told the M&TD in an interview after the meeting that it had become imperative to call for the extension of the validity period of import permits because the current 3 month period is woefully inadequate and does not allow the importers ample time to order, ship and clear their cargo within the period.

"When you take into consideration the fact that you have to obtain the permit which is valid for three months, you use approximately 2 weeks to source for the goods, 2 weeks as processing time and another 8 weeks for transportation by which time the 3 months would have elapsed and your goods would have arrived here and your permit is expired, so the stakeholders taught it wise to press for the extension of the validity period from the current 3 months to 6 months,’’ she explained.

According to her, the ministry of trade had already discussed the matter with other stakeholders including the Authority all with a view to reaching a conclusion that will serve the wider interest of shippers in the country, especially those that are into the importation of frozen foods.

Mrs. Aryeetey stressed the need for importers to always acquire import permits before they import their consignments to ensure that they do not fall victim to issues of demurrage, rent and auction of their goods among others.

According to her, it becomes illegal to source for once goods and import without the permit, stressing that the Authority was bent on getting all shippers’ to do the right thing by ensuring that they follow and obey the rules of engagement regarding imports.