High transport fares hit import thru' Benapole
Our Correspondent | Thursday, 10 July 2008
KHULNA, July 09: A deadlock has been created in transportation of imported goods through Benapole landport due to the rise in transport fares coupled with a truck crisis.
Sources said truck owners have increased their fares due to the fuel price hike leaving the importers, transport agents and clearing and forwarding (C and F) agents to face a great trouble in transporting their goods to different places of the country.
Some C and F agents said truck fares have doubled due to the rise in prices of oil and the ferry fares.
On the other hand, imports from India through the landport have increased recently creating a pressure on their transportation.
The port users said import of different commodities including onion, cotton and raw materials of export-oriented industries has increased through the landport. But the transport owners and workers are giving more priority to carrying onion and cotton than other imported commodities, because those fetch higher fares than the others.
Moreover, onion is a perishable item, so it is transported to its destination quickly. Onion also gets priority even at a ferry terminal. For this reason, the truck drivers are more interested in carrying the imported onion than any other commodity.
Sources said the transport cost of onion is Tk 1,000 per tonne. A ten-tonne capacity truck usually carries 14 to 15 tonnes of onion and gets Tk 14,000 to 15,000 normally. The same thing happens in case of cotton.
But a truck having the same capacity can load not more than 9 to 10 tonnes of machinery or other commodities and they also have to wait hours after hours at a ferry terminal.
Sources said truck owners have increased their fares due to the fuel price hike leaving the importers, transport agents and clearing and forwarding (C and F) agents to face a great trouble in transporting their goods to different places of the country.
Some C and F agents said truck fares have doubled due to the rise in prices of oil and the ferry fares.
On the other hand, imports from India through the landport have increased recently creating a pressure on their transportation.
The port users said import of different commodities including onion, cotton and raw materials of export-oriented industries has increased through the landport. But the transport owners and workers are giving more priority to carrying onion and cotton than other imported commodities, because those fetch higher fares than the others.
Moreover, onion is a perishable item, so it is transported to its destination quickly. Onion also gets priority even at a ferry terminal. For this reason, the truck drivers are more interested in carrying the imported onion than any other commodity.
Sources said the transport cost of onion is Tk 1,000 per tonne. A ten-tonne capacity truck usually carries 14 to 15 tonnes of onion and gets Tk 14,000 to 15,000 normally. The same thing happens in case of cotton.
But a truck having the same capacity can load not more than 9 to 10 tonnes of machinery or other commodities and they also have to wait hours after hours at a ferry terminal.