BGMEA pushes for faster exports from BM Depot

FE REPORT
The apparel apex body BGMEA orders its member units to expedite shipment of their goods out of 390 containers that remained unharmed in a recent fire at BM Depot.
The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) made the instruction in a circular issued on Thursday.
The BGMEA board has held meetings with the authorities concerned, including the National Board of Revenue, and made a joint move in this regard.
It provided a list of 390 intact containers and asked its members to find out their respective intact ones for export procedure.
On June 04, at least 43 people, including nine firefighters, were killed and hundreds injured in a fire-triggered explosion at the depot.
On June 20, BGMEA leaders in a meeting sought the intervention of the Customs House Commissioner to expedite the intact exportable goods, citing buyers' pressure for shipments.
When asked, BGMEA first vice-president Syed Nazrul Islam says no export of goods, which are good in consignments, is yet to be made even after a month.
Buyers are asking for undamaged shipments, but goods cannot be shipped due to legal procedures, he adds.
Exporters may ultimately face problems and incur losses if buyers decline to receive the goods due to this lengthy process, he fears.
According to the Bangladesh Inland Container Depots Association, 1,300 loaded containers-800 with exportables and 500 with importables-were in the depot at the time of the fire.
A majority of the containers were burnt in the Sitakunda incident, causing a financial loss of at least $100 million, according to industry people.
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