The Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate (PPRSD) has cautioned the exporters of teak logs to India against using defective containers for their shipments.
Mr Prudence Attipoe of PPRSD
This follows a notification from India that teak logs exported from Ghana were infested with pest, a development that breaches the International Plant Protection Convention which mandates signatory countries to disallow infested plant and plant products from entering each other’s jurisdiction.
The Deputy Director and Head of Plant Quarantine Services Division of the PPRSD, Mr Prudence Attipoe, gave the advice to shippers on Wednesday 19th June, 2019 during the 105thmeeting of the Greater Accra Regional Shipper Committee held in the Ghana Shippers’ House, Accra.
He said investigations conducted by the PPRSD revealed that even though containerised teak logs are fumigated by his outfit and phytosanitary certificates issued to give clearance for export, the use of defective containers by some exporters renders the fumigation exercise ineffective.
A participant making a contribution at the meeting
He advised exporters and their freight forwarders to ensure that containers used for exports are in good state and not liable to defects.
Officials from the Ghana International Trade Commission (GITC); TACOTEL, an off-dock terminal in Takoradi and Overseas Commerce Ghana Limited, operators of a logistics terminal hub and customs bonded coldstore warehouse in Tema informed the Committee members about their services.
Representatives from over 100 companies including trade associations and bodies whose businesses affect the supply and demand of shipping services attended the meeting.
Chief Executive Officer of Overseas Commerce Ghana Limited, Mr Boaz Amiel addressing the shippers on the services his company provides
The Greater Accra Regional Shipper Committee is one of the ten Regional Shipper Committees established by the Ghana Shippers’ Authority across the country to bring together shippers, shipping service providers, state agencies involved in trade facilitation and other stakeholders in the maritime industry to discuss pertinent issues affecting the industry and find solutions to them.
