Additional Customs and Excise Division Officers and extended working hours until 11pm, these are two of the measures being taken to deal with delays in the clearing of goods at the ports.
Minister of Finance, Colm Imbert, informed the Senate of the development as he responded to a question posed to him by Opposition Senator, Wade Mark this morning.
Businesses throughout the country have bitterly complained as clearing of goods continue to be delayed.
The Greater San Fernando Chamber has called for improved efficiency at the ports of entry and Customs and Excise Department.
President Kiran Singh said, one week before Christmas, reports of a customs being understaffed resulting in delays in the clearing of goods is totally unacceptable.
This morning Mark asked what measures are being taken by the Customs and Excise Division to allow citizens to clear their goods in time for Christmas.
In giving context to the situation, Minister Imbert said for the month of November 167,000 packages were received and this month 150,000 are expected.
Imbert said Customs officers who worked at the baggage hall at the Piarco International Airport have been redeployed to the transmit shed to help address the situation.