The director general of Customs (DGA), Fernando Fernandez told the audience at a Dominican Export Association gathering that the Medina government would not implement the controversial cargo X-ray screening contract signed during the President Hipolito Mejia government. “The Dominican Customs Department’s position is clear: We will not implement the contract. The DGA will not engage in discussions on the subject.” He said the contract was dubious and negative for local competitiveness and that it had been granted to a company without any experience of port security. He said security scrutiny should not be in private hands and that work was under way to install X-ray equipment in the ports of Haina and Puerto Plata under government responsibility. Fernandez was the keynote speaker during a Dominican Exports Association (Adoexpo) luncheon meeting yesterday, Thursday 14 March.
The customs director urged Dominicans to increase their exports, saying that the present ratio is US$1.84 imports to US$1 of exports. He revealed the import-export ratios with Caricom US$5.48:US$1), Europe (US$3.2:US$1), Panama (US$1.63:US$1), US (US$1.31:US$1), and Puerto Rico (US$1.71:US$1).
He highlighted advances to facilitate trade including the use of the Customs Integrated System (SIGA), a one-stop shop for government paperwork and export management via the Internet, as reported in Hoy.