India is developing an advanced cargo information system that will enable quick customs clearance of imports with examination restricted to a risk-based assessment of shipments, similar to the advance passenger information system implemented by the US following 9/11.
A system like this would give customs officials advance knowledge of the cargo’s contents and arrival time. Depending on the contents and the information revealed by the risk-assessment system, the information can subsequently be utilised to pre-clear the shipments or hold them for additional inspection.
Data can also be used by other organisations involved in inspecting import cargo, including plant quarantine, to conduct their inspections.
Pre-arrival cargo data exchange has already been tested in a trial with the Maldives, and plans to expand the system are currently being discussed with other nations, including South Korea. An agreement for the pre-arrival exchange of country-of-origin certifications between New Delhi and South Korea has already been signed.
The exchange of pre-arrival data is being looked into, a senior government source told ET.
Such a discussion might come up during upcoming trade deal negotiations.
The project is being worked on by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs as part of customs facilitation to further increase the ease of doing business in the nation. In order to improve trade facilitation, the country’s customs structure may be updated in the future to include pre-arrival data exchange.
In addition to speeding up the identification and tracking of suspect items, a system like this would be useful for verifying country-of-origin certificates with nations with which India has trade agreements.
