Oman: Vegetable, fruit dealers fret over clearance delays at Sohar Port
Traders say that they have already informed the Ministry of Transport and Communications about the problems they are facing. Sohar Port, on the other hand, maintains that these are issues related to transition which will be resolved soon. “I have three containers of garlic, apples and oranges pending clearance at the port. They have arrived from China, South Africa and France, respectively. The containers have been stationed at the port for more than a week.
“Earlier, I used to get the clearance faster when the containers arrived at Port Sultan Qaboos (PSQ). Currently, it takes more than a week to get the clearance.
“The situation was worse before the Eid holidays. It took nearly two weeks for the containers to be cleared. These delays affect the quality of products and prevent us from fulfilling our commitment to buyers,” said Abdul Wahab, a senior manager with Suhur al Fiha Trading, a wholesale dealer of fruits and vegetables.
“I had ordered huge quantities of fruits and vegetable to cater to the Eid rush but they arrived so late that I am finding it difficult to store them. Now, I have hired another warehouse to store them. This has happened with many wholesale dealers,” added Wahab.
“I have containers from India (onions), China (potatoes) and Pakistan (mangoes) pending clearance at the port. It has been almost a week now. I feel PSQ was doing a good job. Nowadays, I also depend on small boats, which supply the products at PSQ,” Shaheed K, a senior official with Talal al Akhzami Trading, said.
Wahab said, “As a result, prices of vegetables have gone up by at least 15 to 20 per cent increase compared to the last year. We are also not in a position to give an assurance to our buyers when the supply will normalise.”
Wholesale dealers say these issues are affecting their operational costs as well. “We have containers with mangoes, oranges and lemons from South Africa and Egypt pending at the port. We do not know when they will reach us. This is eating into our profits and is increasing our operational costs,” said a senior official with Al Amal Trading.
Speaking to Muscat Daily, a spokesperson from Sohar Port and Free Zone, “This issue is attributed to the adjustments that are necessary in the supply chain to achieve seamless and smooth operation. Such issues are temporary in nature as they only relate to a period of transition which should disappear shortly. Many such issues have already been resolved.”
Regarding the Oman International Container Terminal, she said, “Synchronising truck movements with clearing and inspection processes and timely delivery into the stores in Muscat are some of the tasks that all related parties (consignees, clearing agents, shipping agents, terminal operator and authorities) are aspiring towards.”
Source: www.muscatdaily.com
