Business leaders urge waiver of charges at port

The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) has requested the government to waive demurrage charges at ports due to delayed delivery of goods over the last five days, reports UNB.

Business leaders have also demanded that any new charges not be imposed in the next 15 days until normalcy returns to shipment and import clearance activities at the ports.

FBCCI President Mahbubul Alam, in a statement on Wednesday, said that businesses could not conduct export-import activities in the last week because of an internet blackout and countrywide curfew. Businesses need government support to minimize the loss, he added.

The call comes as business and economic activities resumed Wednesday morning after the government restored broadband internet services in selected areas and relaxed curfew.

At present, Chattogram port, which handles almost of Bangladesh's over USD 100 billion international trade, has been witnessing container congestion amid problems in duty assessment by customs authority, and payments of bills at banks in the absence of internet since July 18 night.

SM Mannan Kochi, president of Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) said that the garments sector of the country on average export products worth around Tk 1600 crores. Following the internet blackout and curfew, the RMG sector witnessed a loss of around Tk 8,000 crore, he added.

Similarly, production in many factories has been hampered due to delayed shipment of raw materials, he said.

The BGMEA president urged the government to take additional measures for quick shipment and delivery from the Chattogram port to keep production in the manufacturing sector uninterrupted.