The dissatisfaction is highest among industry representatives referring to customs in Peñas Blancas, where the trucks are taking between 12 and 36 hours to cross the border.
"Despite complaints, customs has reported a recovery in its revenues during the first half of the year, in comparison with the same periods in 2010 and 2009."
The journalist Eugenia Soto Morales in his article in Elfinancierocr.com, an analysis of the current customs information provided by the different sectors involved.
'The customs department is doing nothing to improve efficiency", said Luis Fernando Monge, executive director of CRECEX.
'Under TICA, 85% of customs declarations are processed in minutes", noted Desiderio Soto, director general of customs.
'Peñas Blancas is in chaos, a container can take up to 36 hours across the border", remarked Luis Obando, advisor for the Chamber of Industries.
Source: elfinancierocr.com
More on this topic
March 2011
Exporters and Government discussed improvements in customs procedures in order to reduce processing times at the border.
Export managers and managers of the 20 companies in charge of 80% of export formalities at the border in Peñas Blancas met this morning with the Minister of Foreign Trade, Anabel Gonzalez, Deputy Minister Fernando Ocampo, Deputy Minister of Finance Jenny Phillips, the Director General of Customs, Desiderio Soto and the manager of the Single Window for Foreign Trade, Marvin Salas to discuss improvements in customs proceedings and reducing processing times at the border.
April 2012
The Costa Rican customs office at Penas Blancas, on the border with Nicaragua, is going through social and commercial chaos pending reforms in infrastructure and procedures.
Delays in the passage of trucks carrying goods are causing major losses to exporters, although business chambers have not conducted any specific studies, said Mario Montero, executive vice president of the Costa Rican Chamber of the Food Industry (Cacia).
August 2011
The action plan is designed to address the state of emergency that has been declared on the border between Costa Rica and Panama.
A press release from the Costa Rican Ministry of Foreign Trade states:
“The five month action plan will involve increasing the number of traffic officers, implementing an electronic collection system for fumigation charges, extending opening hours until midnight, contracting a design for the primary zone, implementing a system of international transit of goods, widening the highway to four lanes, and starting the remodeling of the immigration building. ‘Technological tools exist today that allow us to complete formalities in advance. To promote use of these, and to make the Peñas Blancas border crossing a place to pass through and not to do paperwork, we will establish before the primary zone a checkpoint that will to give priority to exporters who arrive with their paperwork already processed’, said Vice Minister, Fernando Ocampo.
February 2011
Works on the new customs building shared by Nicaragua and Costa Rica will begin by the middle of the year.
The announcement was made by the Deputy Director of Immigration, Freddy Montero, who added that more staff will be hired in order to make procedures more efficient.
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