The Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) and the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) have written letters to the authorities to reconsider their decision of shifting delivery, as per Bangladeshi media reports.

Though export activities are done through private ICDs, import activities are carried out through the Chattogram port, said Mohammad Hatem, vice president of BKMEA, in the letter. The RMG sector took deliveries of imported goods through the port during the lockdown as well.

The letter read that deliveries that normally take 2 days, take 6-7 days at ICDs due to a scarcity of space, workforce and machinery. Additionally, the charges at private ICDs are also higher than the Chattogram port. The delay and the higher charges can erode the sector’s competitiveness in the global market.

BGMEA president Faruque Hassan’s letter to the revenue board read that ICD delivery takes 4 extra days after unloading and importers are forced to pay Tk 6,000-7,000 for a 20-feet import container. He added that the port currently does not have any container congestion and thus there is no reason to shift import delivery to ICDs.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KD)