Aware of the importance of achieving optimal facilitation of legitimate trade, the Customs of Central America continued this Tuesday (18.05.2021/XNUMX/XNUMX) the test of data collection and recording for the measurement of land transit times for goods and the evaluation of processes at the seven border posts in the Pacific Corridor of the region, reported the Secretariat of Central American Economic Integration.
The primary purpose of implementing this method, known as Dispatch Time Study, is to facilitate the identification of present problems in the different areas, as well as, potential corrective measures all with increase competitiveness y reduce trade costs.
It is worth mentioning that the activity is carried out within the framework of the Central American Regional Economic Integration Project (INTEC), with the technical support of the World Customs Organization (WCO), the Secretariat for Central American Economic Integration (SIECA) and the cooperation of the European Union. It will be carried out through data from regional platforms and customs in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama. with availability of harmonized national teams.
It is important to emphasize that the Clearance Time Study is an internationally recognized tool by the WCO to measure the current time required for the clearance and release of goods and allows for the identification of actions necessary to make customs processes more efficient at border posts.
As such, the tool is applied in the Border Posts which will be analyzed simultaneously. In Panama and Costa Rica, they are Paso Canoas and Sixaol; while Guatemala and El Salvador will measure the Pedro de Alvarado (La Hachadura) and San Cristóbal posts; also El Salvador and Honduras will measure the Amatillo post; another point will be Gausale, which will be measured by Honduras and Nicaragua and finally, the Peña Blanca-Peñas Blancas border post will be analyzed by teams from Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
The methodology consists of four phases:
- Study preparation, data collection and recording.
- Analysis of data.
- Monitoring, evaluation, preparation
- Presentation of an action plan.
But nevertheless, "On this occasion, a second phase pilot will be applied through a test, which will be given by Customs officials to land freight carriers so they can fill it out. The time taken for each procedure will also be taken into account," the official information clarifies. With the results of this pilot plan, adjustments will be made, in order to then formally apply the Dispatch Time Study in July.
This Regional study represents a milestone in Central American administrations to the extent that it will provide information for countries to benefit economically from the reduction in logistics costs and the expansion of trade that this brings with it.
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