TIRUPUR: A Trade Facilitation Centre (TFC) would be established in Trichy to assist exporters with customs procedures and regulatory guidance, said Bharat Prakash, commissioner of customs, Trichy customs preventive zone.The announcement was made during a Trade Outreach Programme organised by the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) in association with the Trichy customs commissionerate in Tirupur on Thursday. The programme was presided over by AEPC chairman A Sakthivel.In his address, Bharat Prakash highlighted Tirupur’s key role in India’s export economy, noting that nearly 70% of the country’s knitwear exports originate from the Tirupur cluster. He said global trade is witnessing significant changes with new trade agreements creating fresh opportunities. He assured exporters that customs would continue to support them through faster clearances and simplified procedures.Customs officials briefed exporters on schemes such as Authorised Economic Operator (AEO), Manufacture and Other Operations in Warehouse Regulations (MOOWR) and Self-Sealing Procedure (SSP), outlining their benefits.Niranjan, inspector of customs, said 510 grievances had been received on the Thunaivan portal, of which 435 were resolved, facilitating refunds of about Rs 1.61 crore to exporters.An interaction session was held to discuss concerns arising from the ongoing West Asia crisis and the expectations of apparel exporters from customs authorities to give suitable instructions to cargo terminal operators to grant waiver of demurrage charges on export consignments that could not be lifted due to flight disruptions, airspace restrictions and related operational constraints arising from the ongoing international developments.
