Fears that perishable goods arriving at Khalifa Bin Salman Port in Bahrain could spoil due to delays clearing customs have been allayed.

Officials from the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) said yesterday (May 27) that they had been inundated with calls from traders, complaining of hold-ups caused by alleged problems with scanning equipment at the port.

The BCCI brought together 126 traders along with officials from Customs, the Agricultural Directorate and the Industry and Commerce Ministry yesterday to discuss any issues they may have ahead of Ramadan, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

Customs officials at the meeting denied that the scanners were down, but explained that they were working to speed up the clearing process.

BCCI Food and Agriculture sector committee chairman Khalid Al Amin told the GDN that there had been cases of shipping containers filled with perishable goods spoiling but assured traders that the clearing process had returned to normal.

"The Customs authorities really did their best - they put on three shifts running 24 hours a day to clear the backlog," he said.

"It was hard for them - they suffered as it is hot and they are not in the best working conditions, but they worked."

The scanners were allegedly down for more than a week, Al Amin added.

BCCI chief executive Nabeel Al Mahmood announced details of the chamber's SMEs Development and Support Centre's programme on Sunday. The Business Roundup will feature key speakers from GPIC, Alba, and Industry and Commerce Ministry. It will also host a micro exhibition for small and medium industrial enterprises in Bahrain. - TradeArabia News Service