In a stride towards improving trade facilitation and reducing transit time, Uzbekistan's Yallama Border Crossing Point, the country's second busiest border crossing, has undergone a successful modernization initiative supported by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Development Asia reported. The project aimed at addressing challenges posed by outdated infrastructure, inadequate equipment, and inefficient bureaucratic processes, which have been common issues in road border posts across Central Asia.
Before the intervention, Yallama faced severe delays and lengthy processing times, with goods inspection averaging 11.4 hours in the first quarter of 2020. The lack of modern port control equipment, including X-ray cargo scanners and automated license plate readers, contributed to these delays. Moreover, the limited inspection lanes struggled to handle the growing traffic, adversely impacting trade flow and increasing transportation costs.
The Government of Uzbekistan, with technical support from the ADB, took a multi-faceted approach to overcome these challenges. Policy measures included developing a roadmap for modernizing procedures, reforming customs authorities, reducing trade and investment barriers, and facilitating consultations with national road carriers to expand their fleets and penetrate new markets.
Designating Yallama as a pilot project for modernization, substantial investments were made to upgrade border management infrastructure and equipment. The project incorporated a "green lane" for priority goods and implemented the electronic Transports Internationaux Routiers (eTIR) system, facilitating the smooth movement of goods across borders.
The modernization project streamlined various processes at Yallama, introducing a single-stop and single-window system for regulatory document submission. Advanced X-ray scanning equipment and automatic license plate readers were deployed to expedite the inspection process, replacing the time-consuming manual checks.
As a result of these efforts, the average customs process at Yallama decreased significantly to 4.4 hours in the last quarter of 2021. This achievement underscores the potential for transformative changes in trade facilitation and border management within a relatively short timeframe with proper planning and coordination.
The success of the Yallama project offers valuable insights and recommendations for further improvements in trade facilitation. Expanding the number of access lanes, segregating passenger and cargo vehicle lanes, expediting digital adoption, and encouraging automation emerged as key recommendations. Additionally, collaborative efforts with international organizations such as the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) and ADB were emphasized to leverage vast transport data for informed decision-making.
Furthermore, the report highlights the need for neighboring countries to follow suit, suggesting that the B. Konysbaeva Border Crossing Point in Kazakhstan should modernize and improve its customs processes to maximize the benefits of the Yallama upgrade.
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