AN EXPLORATION OF THE NEED FOR AND COST OF SELECTED TRADE FACILITATION MEASURES IN ASIA AND THE PACIFIC IN THE CONTEXT OF THE WTO NEGOTIATIONS

Synthesis report

III. Private sector surveys of needs and priorities

Exploratory private sector surveys were conducted in all five countries to assess
their trade facilitation needs and priorities. The survey instrument consisted of two main
sections: Part I assessed the private sector perception of the level of implementation of
various trade facilitation measures related to Articles V, VIII and X in their own country;
Part II asked private sector respondents to prioritize selected trade facilitation measures
for implementation. The survey also identified the four trade facilitation related areas in
which private sector respondents faced the most problems.¹¹

Sample size and selection vary across the five country case studies, as some of
the team members chose to administer the questionnaire through phone or face to face
interviews rather than by mail. However, most country teams relied on small random
samples stratified by sectors (e.g., primary products, manufactured goods) or by types of
activities (e.g., freight forwarders, exports manufacturers, international courier services).
Responses from a total of 218 companies in the five countries studied were collected -
seventy three (73) in Bangladesh, thirty two (32) in China, fifty one (51) in India, eighteen
(18) in Indonesia, and forty four (44) in Nepal. Response rates ranged from about 5 per
cent for the self-administered mail survey in India to 72 per cent for the interview-based
survey in Indonesia.

A. Perceived level of implementation of Articles V, VIII and X

Table III.1 summarizes the responses of the private sector companies to various
statements related to the level of implementation of Articles V, VIII and X in their own
country. Statements are grouped depending on whether they relate to Articles VIII and X,
or to Article V, and are ordered based on the extent to which private sector respondents
agree (or disagree) with them. While the averages should not be compared across
countries as interpretation of scales may vary depending on cultural and other factors,
rankings of the various measures in terms of implementation within countries and across
the sample of countries studied are of interest.

Across the five countries, private sector respondents tend to slightly agree that
relevant trade and customs procedures and regulations are publicly available and easily
accessible, although information about changes in regulations and procedures may not be
communicated promptly and conveniently to the public in Bangladesh and, to a lesser
extent, in Indonesia. The private sector also agrees that computerization and automation
of customs and trade procedures have noticeably reduced average time of clearance,
except in Nepal, while also expressing that (a) irregular and arbitrary payments are often
required to expedite release of goods from Customs (with the singular exception of China)
and that (b) documentation requirements for import/export are excessive and time consuming
(with the exception of Indonesia).

The survey instrument template is available on the companion CD-ROM.

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