Agency steps in to ensure quality control at KRG, Iraq borders
SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region — Provincial authorities in Sulaimani hope to see better quality control at Kurdistan Region's borders and for that they have employed the services of Lox Agency that has for the past year inspected thousands of tons of imported items at three customs zones.
Luqman Omar, head of inspections department at Lox Agency told Rudaw that all food items, construction, agricultural and veterinary materials have to go through and pass inspection before ending up in the consumer market.
Omar said the border authorities and quality control have come a long way in ensuring the import of standard goods.
"Such inspection labs did not exist at the borders before or they were very basic," Omar said. "Now we do inspections with advanced technology and special teams with expertise in this field."
Registered as an Iraqi company in Baghdad and Erbil Lox Agency currently oversees inspections at Kele, Pshta and Parvezkhan border crossings with neighboring Iran. The agency has also worked in partnership with French quality control company BV.
"Quality control on items is protecting people from unsafe imported goods." Muhanad Saad Abdulwahab, chief inspector at Lux Agency said. "It also causes economic disasters therefore strict inspection and quality control is important."
According to Omar, in 2018 Lox Agency inspected more than 3,790 tons of goods coming into the Kurdistan Region through Parvez Khan and other borders.
Omar maintained that their inspections and rules and regulations meet the standards of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
Sulaimani governor Haval Abubakir believes that quality control is vital for a healthy economy and to reassure people of the safety of the goods.
"For food security quality control is vital as it is also crucial that the government monitors the work of such agencies to make sure that people use and consume their goods with certainty and in order to avoid waste." Abubakir said.
Omar said that Lox Agency is the first of its kind in Iraq and it employs a team of 100 quality control experts.
The agency is expected to sign new deals with the Iraqi and Kurdish governments to expand their quality control services to all of Iraq's borders with its neighbors.
Luqman Omar, head of inspections department at Lox Agency told Rudaw that all food items, construction, agricultural and veterinary materials have to go through and pass inspection before ending up in the consumer market.
Omar said the border authorities and quality control have come a long way in ensuring the import of standard goods.
"Such inspection labs did not exist at the borders before or they were very basic," Omar said. "Now we do inspections with advanced technology and special teams with expertise in this field."
Registered as an Iraqi company in Baghdad and Erbil Lox Agency currently oversees inspections at Kele, Pshta and Parvezkhan border crossings with neighboring Iran. The agency has also worked in partnership with French quality control company BV.
"Quality control on items is protecting people from unsafe imported goods." Muhanad Saad Abdulwahab, chief inspector at Lux Agency said. "It also causes economic disasters therefore strict inspection and quality control is important."
According to Omar, in 2018 Lox Agency inspected more than 3,790 tons of goods coming into the Kurdistan Region through Parvez Khan and other borders.
Omar maintained that their inspections and rules and regulations meet the standards of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
Sulaimani governor Haval Abubakir believes that quality control is vital for a healthy economy and to reassure people of the safety of the goods.
"For food security quality control is vital as it is also crucial that the government monitors the work of such agencies to make sure that people use and consume their goods with certainty and in order to avoid waste." Abubakir said.
Omar said that Lox Agency is the first of its kind in Iraq and it employs a team of 100 quality control experts.
The agency is expected to sign new deals with the Iraqi and Kurdish governments to expand their quality control services to all of Iraq's borders with its neighbors.