Customs Department Adopts Middle Path for Goods Without MRP Labels

Biratnagar. The Customs Department has adopted a middle path to remove the obstruction in the import of finished goods without Maximum Retail Price (MRP) labels. To clear hundreds of cargo trucks stuck at the customs point for the past 9 days, the department has decided to base it on the importer's 'self-declaration and commitment'.

According to Kishore Bartoula, Director and Information Officer of the Customs Department, importers will now be able to clear goods only after submitting a self-declaration and signing a commitment letter at the customs point for goods without MRP labels. Bartoula said that the Customs Department has already issued a circular to all customs offices accordingly. 

According to the sample commitment letter prepared by the department, importers must make a commitment to the customs office in three main points. In which, for industrial, perishable, or machinery nature of goods, even if the MRP label is not physically available at the time of customs clearance, the importer must self-declare its price.

Similarly, after taking the goods from the customs point, they must commit to affixing the MRP label mandatorily before selling and distributing them in the market, and they must be prepared to face legal action if found selling without a label in accordance with the prevailing laws and directives. The provision has been made for importers to disclose the name of the goods, brand, model, quantity, invoice price, and declared MRP in the same letter. 

Thousands of cargo trucks were stopped at the country's borders after the government tightened its grip on the import of goods without MRP from April 15. Information Officer of Biratnagar Customs Office, Bimal Kumar Sah, informed that the goods inspection has started following the department's circular. 

Earlier, the department had tried to adopt such flexibility on April 16, but the situation became more complicated after the Prime Minister's Office disagreed.