Customs to go fully online; poised to handle US $30b trade : PBJ

Sri Lanka Customs is set to go fully online from end March 2013, with the implementation of latest version of Automated System for Customs Data, widely known as ‘ASYCUDA World’, , according to the Treasury Secretary.

Once completed, the Air Cargo terminal will also see its activities automated for the first time, a process started in November 2011 with sea cargo now being fully cleared electronically.

“With ASYCUDA World, our Customs is going to manage international trade to the value of US $ 30 billion and will facilitate one million tourist arrivals. Besides, the Customs will be geared to co-ordinate the activities of the country’s three ‘free ports’ (Colombo, H’tota & Trincomalee) which enable transshipments and other value additions similar to that of Singapore and Hong Kong,” said Dr. P.B. Jayasundera.

Meanwhile a top Customs official who did not want to be quoted told Mirror Business that full implementation of ASYCUDA World would only be possible if the required network infrastructure could be sourced from the private sector network providers who are currently in the process of upgrading their own networks to support the bigger bandwidths required by ASYCUDA World.

Dr. Jayasundera speaking of the transition said, “ASYCUDA World is a dream coming true, despite some teething problems during implementation and it is going to be the best Customs office in the region. Going forward, I am equally optimistic the department will transform in to a more customer-friendly organization”, added Dr. Jayasundera.

E-Customs, a step toward promoting E-Governance where digital interactions between the government and the businesses (apart from citizens) will facilitate and improve the calculation, collect and account Customs duties and other charges related to Customs operations, speed-up the clearance of goods and prevent smuggling and provide the Customs management with timely and accurate information.

Since implementation of 2.6 version of ASYCUDA way back in 1994, Sri Lanka Customs upgraded the system to ASYCUDA++ in 1998 before opting to the latest version, ASYCUDA World which enables virtually all Customs functions to be automated (paperless) ruling out physical presence at the department by the traders.

“However, despite conducting many training sessions for traders amongst the other facilitations to familiarize the system, we still find some traders walking to the department for their cusdec clearance,” the official said.

The ASYCUDA is a program by UNCTAD with no cost directed at reforming the Customs clearance process of member countries. However the cost of people training and the software customization based on the national needs is borne by the member country.