As the country marks its 64th anniversary, maritime operators have urged the Federal Government to tackle the issue of fluctuating exchange rates to boost importation.
The operators who spoke in Lagos yesterday, however, admitted that the maritime sector had recorded significant growth in the past few years, PUNCH reports.
The Youth Leader of the Tincan Island Chapter of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents, Sikiru Remilekun, stated that despite the recorded growth, fiscal policies still pose a big challenge to the sector.
“The challenge in the maritime sector especially in import and export has experienced some significant growth over the past few years back, but the major challenge remains the fiscal policies on the dollar floating,” Remilekun said.
He added that pegging the exchange rate for cargo clearance at less than N1,000/$ would grow the sector by over 200 per cent.
“The policy has slowed down the inflow and outflow in the port business, which we have been urging the government to look to by pegging the dollar rate to less than N1,000. This I believe will play another significant role and ensure growth of about 200 per cent.
“However, another challenge is the lack of capacity building and too much bureaucracy/payments, which is affecting the maritime sector,” he stated.
