NSW EXPECTED TO SMOOTH IMPORT-EXPOPT ACTIVITIES

Jakarta, Jan 29 (ANTARA) - Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Hatta Rajasa said the introduction of the National Single Window (NSW) system at Jakarta's Tanjung Priok port was expected to smooth export and import activities.

"With the application of of the NSW system, licensing procedures will be completed more speedily and at much lower expenditure," the minister said in response to the launching or full operation of an NSW system or import (NSW-Import) system at a pier of PT Jakarta International Container Terminal (JICT) at Tanjung Priok Port here on Friday.

On the occasion, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono inaugurated the full operation of the NSW-Import system which was also attended by Vice President Boediono.

Hatta said that the NSW would smooth the flow of goods and support work productivity, improve quality and sharpen the national economy's competitive edge.

"We want to remove service barriers at port with easier, more guaranteed and cheaper export-import activities," he said.

He said that the implementation of the NSW-Import system was also expected to be supported with skilled human resources so that this technology would work efficiently.

"The main key rests upon the human resources. After all, we already have skilled workers to operate this system so that we hope exporters and importers would use it," he said.

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani also hoped that the NSW system would later be integrated into the ASEAN countries' networks in order to support the export and import process.

"Since 2006, we have been developing the system and applying the NSW as part of the ASEAN Single Window which has been using electronic-based custom documentation system at the export-import ports of ASEAN countries," she said.

Mulyani said that the NSW system was initially applied only at Tanjung Priok port to serve priority importer partners.

But later the use of the NSW system was expanded to more importers. The kinds of license processing and the license issuing agencies were also expanded.

"The launch of the NSW system is also marked with the inauguration of the NSW-Import with the NSW-Export being planned at Tanjung Perak port (in Surabaya)," she said.

She said that a present, about 20 thousand importers, 1,300 custom service firms and 15 government agencies had been using the NSW services.

"Now on, licensing will be processed through electronic services, no longer manual ones, which is equipped with a mobile-version website to detect the settlement of the applications," the minister said.

The NSW service is also intended to support business certainty and boost export and import activities supported with competent human resources.

The operation of the NSW-Import system is one of the targets set in President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's first 100-day programs in his Indonesia United Cabinet.

The system will be used in five main airport/seaports of Tanjung Periok, Tanjung Perak, Tanjung Emas, Soekarno-Hatta airport and Belawan.