09-05-2025
Rise in Vizag AEO-certified entities
Visakhapatnam: With rising Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) adoption, India is steadily positioning itself as a trusted player in global trade, observed Chief Commissioner of Customs and Central Tax, Visakhapatnam Zone Sanjay a seminar on authorised economic operators held in Visakhapatnam on Thursday, he highlighted the growing importance of the AEO in strengthening India's trade ecosystem.
Organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in collaboration with the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), the seminar witnessed participation of over 100 stakeholders from the import-export and logistics industry. 'The number of AEO-certified entities in Visakhapatnam zone has increased to 118, up from 46 earlier, reflecting growing industry awareness and trust in the scheme,' Sanjay Rathi stressed.
Underscoring India's broader logistics progress, he pointed out that India has climbed to 38th position in the World Bank's Logistics Performance Index (LPI) 2023, a significant jump from the 54th rank in 2014. Principal Commissioner, Directorate of International Customs, Delhi, Akil Kumar Khatri highlighted that the AEO programme, launched 14 years ago, is a voluntary initiative by customs to identify and support trusted businesses involved in international trade. It helps reduce delays, speeds up clearances, and offers global recognition through mutual agreements with other countries, making trade safer, faster, and more efficient for compliant importers, exporters, and logistics providers.
Immediate past chairman, CII Rajesh Grandhi underlined the need for continuous policy improvement and shared key industry suggestions, including extending the deferred duty payment window to 30 days.
Past chairman of CII G Sambasiva Rao highlighted the growing role of Andhra Pradesh in global trade. He noted that the state has contributed nearly USD 20 billion in merchandise exports in FY 2024–25, led by key sectors such as marine products, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, engineering goods, and minerals. N Sridhar, Principal Commissioner, Custom House, Visakhapatnam, Pradeep Kumar, Joint Commissioner, Directorate of International Customs, Delhi, G Krishna Mohan, vice chairman, CII and other senior customs officials spoke.
