Importing wood logs with bark: Minister asks DPP to review current restrictions

Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain has asked the Department of Plant Protection (DPP) to reconsider rules for bringing wood logs into Pakistan with their bark intact. The request followed an appeal from the All-Pakistan Timber Traders Association (APTTA), made at a meeting held after the opening of two DPP laboratories. International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures 39 covers logs and processed wood in either bark condition, with measures to manage plant-health risks.

APTTA says restrictions introduced through the Import Policy Order 2022, alongside high Plant Protection Regulatory Order charges, have driven up costs and made imports commercially difficult. The association proposes conducting fumigation, debarking and inspection at approved facilities in Pakistan after arrival, under DPP and NAFSA supervision. It says this would change where treatment takes place, rather than weaken phytosanitary safeguards; the minister has asked DPP to review the current restrictions.