KARACHI: Pakistan Single Window (PSW), in collaboration with the ministry of Maritime Affairs, has integrated the Marine Fisheries Department (MFD) and Mercantile Marine Department (MMD) into its network of digitally connected entities, a statement said on Saturday.
The internal working of both the departments was manual and paper-based, which was prone to fraud and forgery besides time consuming.
"Integration of the Marine Fisheries and the Marine Mercantile Department with PSW is in our recognition of the importance of this sector for facilitation and enhancement of Pakistan’s cross border trade particularly exports,” CEO of PSW Aftab Haider said.
MFD regulates export of fish and fishery products in Pakistan while MMD is responsible for regulating export of second-hand/used passenger and cargo ships, oil tankers, liquid cargo carriers, and fishing trawlers. Further MMD also ensures stowage standards in the export of dangerous goods.
“We hope that the integration will not only reduce the time and cost of doing cross border trade but will help modernise and reform the two departments in line with the ministry’s vision,” Haider added.
Supply chain reliability, safety, and efficiency are keys to attracting foreign buyers to a country’s products and enhanced exports. Exports of fish and fishery products play a vital role in the national economy of Pakistan and have the potential to earn millions in foreign exchange. Digitisation of the cross-border trade related procedures is one significant step towards improving the supply chain efficiency and safety.