Over 52,000 Users Registered With PSW During One Year

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Aug, 2022 ) :The number of registered users of Pakistan Single Window (PSW) system reached to 52,000 by the the end of first phase of the project which was launched last year in line with Pakistan's commitment under WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement.

The system offered services including electronic customs registration, online processing and issuance of import permits. Besides, the system also offered phyto-sanitary certificates, release orders and other documents pertaining to the government agencies, and digital payments, said a press release received here Wednesday.

In addition to these services, PSW has also launched its Trade Information Portal providing a single access point for all information related to imports, exports, and transit also in compliance with Article 1.2 of the Trade Facilitation Agreement.

The PSW also conducted capacity-building sessions in Faisalabad and Gujranwala in collaboration with the All Pakistan Bedsheets and Upholstery Association and the Seed Importers and Producers Association of Pakistan (SIPAP) as part of its change management component.

The aim of these sessions was to address challenges faced by Pakistani exporters as compliance to non-tariff measures imposed by trading partners on their imports was overly complex or trade restrictive as businesses might not only face prohibitions but also report strict requirements on product quality in destination markets.

The sessions were attended by a large number of importers and exporters transitioning to the Single Window system for cross-border trade.

Speaking on the occasion, Zaheer Abbas, Domain Officer PSW said that PSW was on a transformational journey for digitizing and realigning cross-border trade procedures with internationally recommended best practices.

He said that the integration of the Federal Seed Certification and Register Department (FSC&RD) was a big step forward towards facilitating seed imports and would save importers time and cost for imports. He also acknowledged the active cooperation of FSC&RD for automating and integrating their business processes with PSW.

The Chairman of SIPAP Mian Muhammed Azhar Siddique said that FSC&RD had been an important partner and collaborator of PSW and its officials and management had played a key role in achieving this integration.

The PSW platform provides greater transparency, upgraded quality and customs infrastructure, streamlined procedures and better enforcement of quality compliance, he added.

He said the new service enabled electronic filing and processing of import permits and release orders pertaining to FSC&RD and was gradually being rolled out across the country.

During the session, the participants in Gujranwala were given a walk through experience of the PSW e-trade system integrating the FSC&RD with PSW.