Trade and Commercial Law Assessment - Honduras - Economic ...

TRADE AND COMMERCIAL LAW ASSESSMENT DECEMBER 2004
HONDURAS
each representative independently. CENTREX staff ensures that all required processes have
been
completed. Exporters are required to provide completed declarations to Customs at the point of
export. There are no fees for this service.
♦ Co-location of the regulatory authorities
has increased dialogue among the agencies and
between agencies and their users.
CENTREX could achieve a more facilitative
process through the following initiatives:
b.
♦ An automated electronic system should be implemented to link agencies and the exporter
electronically. The exporter should be able to transmit his or her documents electronically
to the system, with the agencies
then completing their required steps and transmitting the
file to Customs for action. The current CENTREX concept merely gathers at one location
the officials involved in export documentation. Although the Customs Brokers
association has petitioned CENTREX
to have a representative onsite for electronic
submission
through its proprietary communications system ADUANETT, this proposal
would only be a slight improvement.
♦ CENTREX should consider relocating to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in San
Pedro Sula to improve access for the trade community. This step would expand use of the
center as an information point for exporters in starting and conducting their business.
♦
1) CENTREX Operations That Support Trade Facilitation
CENTREX has been a positive governmental initiative for facilitating the export process, as
demonstrated by the following highlights:
♦ CENTREX has streamlined the export process without adding additional fees and costs.
Exporters can now secure required documentation in 30 minutes for a process that
formerly took 2–3 days.
2) CENTREX Issues to Address
The officers assigned to CENTREX should have more decision-making authority and
access to information required for issue resolution. For example, currently, if a problem
occurs with the SENASA representative, the issue is forwarded to the headquarters office
for resolution. This delays processing significantly. Many of the products on hold are
perishables, for which speed to market is critical. If increased authority is not possible, a
special desk should be established within SENASA
to expedite resolution of such issues.
Ministry of Health
The Ministry
of Health, through its Directorate of Sanitary Regulation, is responsible for the
reg istration of imported and exported processed food products, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals.
The reg ulatory requirements, which apply to both national and imported products, are restrictive
to provide
public health protections. Food products, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals represent a
major share
of imported products, and the impact of regulations is far-reaching.
Registration
has several required steps. The first requires obtaining a health safety certificate
from the
food safety agency in the exporting country. In the United States, the Food and Drug
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