Despite the second nationwide lockdown -and those all over the world- the mandarin orange exports from Phuentsholing are going smoothly. The Department of Agricultural Marketing and Cooperatives (DAMC) officials and the Incident Management Team from Phuentsholing have worked hard to ensure the right arrangements were in place.
According to DAMC marketing chief Yonten Gyamtsho, the movement of both inbound and outbound vehicles transporting the export goods is still permitted. "Exporters and their staff are issued with movement permits,' he told. "Workers at the depot are arranged to stay at depot itself and escorts will be provided should there be need for any special movements."
The proprietor of Druk Phuensum Import and Export (DPIE), Sonam Tobgay. said that having DAMC officials in Phuentsholing was very helpful. DPIE has been able to export about 27 truckloads of mandarin orange to Bangladesh.
However, orange exporters of Phuentsholing and Samtse faced problems while importing wooden packing boxes from India. The customs officials across the border were asking the Indian box exporters to produce the phytosanitary certificate from the National Plant Protection Office. On December 18, the Indian Embassy Office in Thimphu notified to the foreign affairs ministry that the problem was solved.
