3,500 containers await lab resultsJEDDAH: Abdullah Zainal, Minister of Commerce and Industry, has ordered resolution of a crisis at the Jeddah Islamic Port reportedly caused due to the inordinate delays in the issuance of laboratory reports of the incoming shipments at the port. The delays, according to reports, have caused losses amounting to SR90 million to importers and traders and the situation may push the prices of winter clothing up. Officials said that over 3,500 containers of winter clothes are awaiting test results from private laboratories. Sources in the Ministry of Commerce said Zainal is making all-out efforts to control the situation. There is a problem because implementation of a system was ignored by the Ministry of Finance and other systems differ from those approved by the Ministry of Commerce, according to sources. Sources told Okaz/Saudi Gazette that the losses incurred by the importers will result in around 70 percent hike in cloth prices in the local market. A number of importers said in an earlier report the prices of clothes would rise by 50 percent as of the beginning of Muharram 1432H. Traders and importers, who requested anonymity so that their lab work is not delayed further, expressed concern about the delays in the clearance of their shipments. They confirmed that if the situation continues, it will inevitably lead to price hikes because of an increased demand and an insufficient supply and costs could jump beyond the reach of the consumers. Any clothes that might be available would be old, from the past season, they added. Okaz/Saudi Gazette has reported on committees that have found contradictions in regulations and systems of the ministries of commerce and finance that have led to the crisis with the private labs. Zainal's move follows an open discussion between him and Ibrahim Al-Aqeeli, chairman of the Customs Clearance Committee of Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, regarding the need for the urgent resolution of the problem as containers are piling up at the port and for the protection of the traders' interests. The JCCI has formed a delegation headed by Adnan Mandoura, Secretary General, to meet with Customs officials at the Jeddah Islamic Port and to come up with a solution to this problem. A similar meeting will be arranged with the Saudi Arabian Standards Organization, an affiliate of the Ministry of Commerce, and the Chamber will issue a report on the results of the meetings. It is noteworthy that the Customs Department is part of the Ministry of Finance.
