Maldives Ports Limited (MPL) has revealed that 150 containers of goods have been cleared in the past two days following positive changes brought to the clearance procedure.
MPL said that a large number of perishable food items are being cleared, including onions, potatoes, eggs, fruits, and vegetables. The company cleared 60 containers of goods on April 3, which includes 33 containers of 20 feet and 27 containers of 40 feet, according to statistics published by MPL. The highest number of perishable goods imported to the Maldives on April 3 is watermelon. As such, a total of 222 sacks of watermelon were imported on April 3. In addition, potatoes, bananas, pumpkins, and pineapples were also imported on the same day.
Meanwhile, the number of goods cleared on April 4 is higher compared to the previous day. According to statistics, 90 containers were cleared on April 4, which includes 48 containers of 20 feet and 42 containers of 40 feet. On April 4, a large number of onions were imported with 637 sacks of onion cleared. Other perishables cleared included fruits and vegetables as well as eggs.
Speaking at a press conference, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MPL Shahid Ali stated the holy month of Ramadan always brings an increase in the import of cargo, including perishable goods. Shahid said MPL plans to provide special arrangements to enable fast clearance of such goods, in order to maintain the price of items during Ramadan. As such, he revealed a special task force has been formed to monitor the perishable cargo clearing process and provide immediate resolutions to any delays or problems that occur during the process.
Furthermore, Shahid stated vehicles will be allocated to speed up the unloading process as soon as the ship docks in the port. He noted cargo clearance will be carried out from 0900hrs until 1600hrs and 2100hrs until 0130hrs from Saturday to Thursday during the month of Ramadan.