Transporting Subsidized Products Overseas Creates An Emergency In Ports, Airports

The General Directorate of Customs inserted subsidized consumer products in the list of prohibited goods and products when travelling through ports and airports, and seized significant quantities in the bags and cars of the Algerian immigrants, especially during this stage, which is witnessing their return to their homes abroad.

Customs also reduced the quantities allowed in the transport of olive oil and natural honey to stop the haemorrhaging of these local products by taking large quantities abroad.

In this context, representatives of the Algerian community abroad confirmed to Echorouk that they had received a large number of complaints these days about the seizure of subsidized materials through airports and ports, which shocked the expatriates who were not aware of the inclusion of these products among the prohibited goods when travelling, unlike past years when it was allowed to transport this kind of products.

The representative of the Algerian community in France, Toufik Khadim, explained that the customs administration has tightened the blockade this year on the transfer of subsidized materials, in line with the global crisis, especially the rise in wheat prices, which made Algeria double its support for materials made of hard and soft wheat for the benefit of citizens.

“Transporting these goods randomly by members of the Algerian community is not correct, and most of them were not aware of the inclusion of these products in the prohibited category, such as oil, sugar, flour, farina, pasta and couscous”, he added.

In an attempt to justify the behaviour of a group of Algerian immigrants, Toufik Khadim said; “I think that this means that not all of the community members live in abundance, as many people think, yet they strive, and many of them sacrifice everything they have to maintain the connection with the homeland, especially for their children born outside the country, with the high prices of tickets and their scarcity during the vacation period, a part of the community was not aware that taking subsidized products such as oil and semolina is prohibited. Perhaps it was an emergency compared to previous years due to a global crisis”.

The spokesman criticized the strictness of some customs officials; “I am not talking about extortion in exchange for facilities, according to the many complaints I receive from the community members, but I am talking about preventing the community from taking some unsubsidized products such as olive oil and natural honey in reasonable quantities that are not qualified for trade”.

For his part, the representative of the community in Europe, Fares Rahmani, considered that the transfer of subsidized products through ports and airports by the members of the Algerian community abroad harms the national economy, especially since many of them carry excessive quantities under the pretext of giving them to relatives and friends abroad.