KARACHI: Department of Plant Protection has notified that wood is a regulated agricultural good and requires quarantine measures for its biosecurity clearance and release order.
However, prior to promulgation of Pakistan Plant Quarantine Rules 2019 and IPO- 2022, wood and wood products were being released by the customs authority on their own without the Biosecurity Clearance and Plant Protection Release Order (PPRO) of the Department of Plant Protection (DPP).
On promulgation of IPO-2022 their Biosecurity Clearance and Plant Protection Release Order (PPRO) for the subject goods are subjected to import permit issued by the DPP, Phytosanitary Plant Protection Certificate issued by NPPO of the exporting county.
Many importers are approaching the department for Biosecurity Clearance and Plant Protection Release Order (PPRO) of their timber and regulated articles/consignments arrived without either import permit or phytosanitary certificate or both with a request that they have no idea about the regulations and they have been importing these regulated goods without any quarantine measures since long and in nature they will comply the regulations.
Accordingly, Department of Plant Protection developed the phytosanitary import conditions and issued the import permits.
In view of above, the customs authority may decide the cases of timber import as per their previous practice which has been shipped prior promulgation of aforesaid SRO and prior to issuance of import permit by the Department of Plant Protection as a policy decision if they deem necessary along with undertaking that in future no such exemption may be given.