Trucks with fruits, vegetables await entry at Nimroz, Kandahar customs

KANDAHAR CITY/ ZARANJ (Pajhwok): Businessmen of southern Kandahar and southwestern Nimroz provinces on Thursday complained their trucks loaded with vegetables and fresh fruits had been stopped and not allowed to enter cities.

But officials in Kandahar City said the government or Customs Department had not stopped the trucks but truckers stopped them due to legal problems in documents.

Some of Kandahar businessmen gathered in front of the Customs Department and demanded the problem to be resolved.

Haji NazarGul, a businessman, told Pajhwok Afghan News that he paid customs duty on trucks in Farah, Nimroz and Herat provinces but in Kandahar again the customs office demanded the tax.

“From one side coronavirus has made the situation terrible and from another side Customs Office has created problems for us,” he said.

Shah Mohammad, another businessman, expressed similar views and said they paid customs duty in every province and the Customs Department was asking them to pay more.

He said most of the time customs officials changed names of goods in order to get bribe and therefore problems were created.

Haji Nani Agha, head of Fresh Fruits Association, said the problem was widespread in Farah, Nimroz and Herat customs offices and there also corruption elements among officials and truckers.

Governor Hayatullah Hayat said some trucks had been stopped in BaghPul locality due to legal issues on the part of truckers.

He said the issue had been resolved for the time being and the customs duty waived off in Herat and Nimroz provinces but later they should pay the levies.

Elsewhere, truckers in Nimorz province shared similar problems and said their trucks loaded with vegetable were not allowed entry.

Mohammad Nader, one of the truckers, said 120 trucks loaded with tomatoes, apples, watermelon and other fruits had been parked at Nimroz Customs office. Some trucks loaded with tomatoes were allowed yesterday but others still awaited permission.

According to Nader, all this happened due to differences between Kandahar and Nimroz customs offices.

nh/ma

Visits: 10