The government has raised wharf rent at the country's premier port Chittagong by more than 300 per cent after a long time mainly to discourage importers.
The importers reportedly keep their cargoes for a long time at the port yards taking advantage of the low tariff, port officials said.
The government has also revised the rate of un-stuffing of imported cargoes at the port. This is applied only for less than container load (LCL) containerised goods.
From now on, the importers who bring their cargoes under LCL container will have to pay Tk 300 per tonne instead of Tk 93 a tonnne.
Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) officials said the new rate has been effective from June 18 after publication of gazette.
The CPA revised the wharf rent last in 1986 although there was 326 per cent inflation in the country since then, port officials said.
However, the new wharf rent applied for bulk items like bagged cargoes, vehicles, iron and steels has three slabs after free four days of storing facilities at the port.
As per the new rate, the consignees of bagged cargo will have to pay Tk 9.86 for each tonne between the fifth and the seventh days after expiry of free four days at the port.
From the eighth days to fourteenth days, importers of bagged cargoes will have to pay at Tk 24.60 per tonne.
And they will have to pay at Tk 39.36 per tonne each day from the fifteenth days and onwards.
The importers of vehicles will have to pay Tk 98.40 for the fifth day and the seventh day for each tonne.
Car importers will have to pay at the rate of Tk 246.00 per tonne from the eighth day to fourteenth day.
They will have to pay at Tk 393.60 per tonne for their imported vehicles from the fifteen days and onwards.
Iron and steel importers will have to pay at Tk 17.84 per tonne from fifth days to seventh days.
They will have to pay at the rate of Tk 44.60 per tonne during the period of seventh days and the fourteenth days.
Iron and steel importers will have to pay at the rate of Tk 71.36 per tonne for each day from the fifteenth days and onwards.
Port officials said the revised charges will discourage consignees to keep their cargoes a long time at the port.
"We want to keep the port congestion free and the rise in the tariff has been made strategically to discourage importers to keep their goods for a long time at the port yards," said one senior CPA official Sunday.
