´Standard operation´ goes over a month and affects customs-free zone

The situation at Brazil’s customs posts has deteriorated as a result of a standard operation conducted by federal tax auditors, which just completed its first month on January 27th. The Federal Revenue employees’ strike exacerbates cargo processing delays and has an impact on work in the Manaus Customs-Free Zone, where the contingent has been reduced.

In Foz do Iguaçu (PR), on the border with Paraguay and Argentina, 4,100 loaded trucks can be found stopped at gas stations, transportation yards, highways, and at customs facilities, which are already full. The daily loss to carriers nears R$ 4.4 million.

“Some drivers no longer have anything to eat or where to run. They’ve reached the financial limit”, said Rodrigo Ghellere, president of the Union of Road Carriers of the Foz do Iguaçu Region. According to him, the process of crossing the border with cargo has taken up to 13 days. “Many are just off highway margins, enduring temperatures above 40ºC. It’s inhumane. The transport sector asks for help”.

The situation is similar in Uruguaiana (RS), Guaíra (PR), Boa Vista (RR), Pacaraima (RR) and Corumbá (MS). The union in Foz will file a complaint at the local court denouncing the formation of queues and the conditions to which drivers are subjected. The category says it recognizes the auditors’ claim and asks the government to negotiate a solution.

According to Mário Alberto Camargo, director of Foreign Trade at the Commercial and Business Association of Foz do Iguaçu (Acifi), the losses caused by delays in releasing cargo are “irrecoverable”. He fears for local service providers, who depend on the movement at the border, such as mechanics, gas stations, dispatchers, and carriers.

“Those who used to make three trips a week, now make one every 15 days. And it doesn’t pay the bill,” he said. Camargo reports that the slaughterhouses in the region are postponing slaughter and that ports, such as Paranaguá, suffer delays in loading and unloading at night due to a lack of auditors. The eight federal agricultural tax auditors currently working at Paranaguá prioritize the release of perishable cargo, such as fruits, vegetables, and seeds.

The drought hampered navigation on the region’s rivers and thus increased road traffic carrying loads of Paraguayan soybean and corn, which feeds Paraná and Santa Catarina’s poultry and swine agribusinesses. The lack of rain has also harmed the quality of the grains produced in the neighboring country, necessitating additional inspection by the Ministry of Agriculture’s servers. Cargoes have been held for up to three days before being released.

The auditors are demanding career restructuring, more public tenders, and salary readjustment. “There are issues.” “There is a delay of at least five to seven days in the release of cargo in the imports of raw materials for the agro-industry, which has an impact on the availability of containers in exports and the release of trucks from Mercosur,” José Roberto Ricken told Valor, president of the Organization of Cooperatives of Paraná (Ocepar).

The mobilization is also beginning to affect the Manaus Customs-Free Zone, one of the main industrial centers in the country. Last year, the 400 companies at the hub earned R$ 150 billion. The low contingent and the advance of the pandemic have hindered the work. Only three federal servers are stationed at the pole. Per month, they analyze, on average, 800 processes for the release of products of animal and plant origin, in seven customs areas in the region, such as the airport and ports of Chibatão and Itacoatiara.

Source: Valor Econômico

To read the full original article please visit the link:

https://valor.globo.com/agronegocios/noticia/2022/01/27/operacao-padrao-chega-a-um-mes-e-ja-afeta-a-zona-franca.ghtml

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