Mozambique’s despachantes, or clearing agents, are not gaining popularity among the freight forwarding community. That’s because all customs clearances have to go through a customs broker – or despachante, as they are known locally – and delays are a common occurrence.“Customs clearance has been identified as the process with the highest risk in our supply chain solution to clients,” said an operator. “This is mainly because of the despachantes. They take a long time and it is not an easy process dealing with them. “Given that forwarders are not licensed directly with customs and that there is a policy prohibiting us from clearing directly, we have no choice but to use them.”It becomes particularly difficult when working on time-sensitive projects involving big volumes of containers. As the operator explained: “We have worked on projects bringing in 4 000 containers and 45 000 square metres of breakbulk, and it all waits for the clearing agent. It is by far the biggest risk.”Another forwarder said it was a unique operating environment that often left one completely out of control. “It is exceptionally difficult to hand over all of the control like that to a broker who is representing you at customs. You cannot cover yourself at customs. You have to have an agent.”He said while the despachantes were very positive and f lexible in rendering assistance, forwarders had to use these services on their timelines and protocols. “With that in mind, it is important to work by the book and follow legislation carefully and correctly. Audits are important to ensure that you are not hit with big fines, and there’s no cutting corners at any point. “If one understands this process and is able to find several brokers who understand your business ethos, it becomes more navigable.”Operators agree that in Mozambique consistent and honest operations go a long way.
