Nato supply disruption reduces tea smuggling

[NiceFarmer]

Lahore - Tea smuggling from Afghanistan has started declining after disconnection of NATO supply and improvement in border control system during last few months. With the slight decline in smuggling from the neighbouring country, the legal import of the highly consumed kitchen item has also started increasing, sources told Profit. Though improvement in legal imports of tea is temporary and lesser as compared to over 40 per cent smuggling Afghanistan, the fresh move of controlling borders will benefit the country, they said.

According to S Ahmed Khwaja, Vice Chairman, Pakistan Tea Association (PTA) the interruption in NATO supply from Pakistani border has caused decline in smuggling in the couple of months. Tea, as one of the major import items of Afghanistan under Afghanistan Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA), was mostly being smuggled to Pakistan as it was not being consumed in the neighbouring country. Major import commodities included yarn and synthetic staple fibers fabric; electrical appliance and equipment; yarn and fabric of synthetic filament; machinery and mechanical appliance; paper and paperboard; animal and vegetable oils; coffee and spices; rubber and article thereof; sugar and sugar confectionaries; auto parts and accessories, etc.

Source : Agriculture Activities in Pakistan: Nato supply disruption reduces tea smuggling