Mongla Port inactivity costs jute yarn exporters dearly

FE ReportbrAround 26 jute spinning mills in Khulna and other areas in the southern region are facing immense problems in shipment of their exportable yarn from the Mongla Port in absence of adequate facilities, the industry insiders said Wednesday.brNearly 40 per cent of the country's Tk 14 billion jute yarn is exported to different countries from the southern region alone, jute spinners said.br An acute shortage of both ships and containers is forcing the spinning mills in the country's southern region to use the Chittagong Port for exporting their jute yarns instead of using the nearby Mongla port. This leads to a big rise in their transportation cost, Bangladesh Jute Spinners Association (BJSA) said in a press release.brBJSA President Sabbir Yusuf said jute-yarn exporters of the Khulna region have to count an additional cost of Tk 11,000 to 12,000 for transporting every tonne of their exportables to the Chittagong Port. Normally, transportation of one tonne of jute yarn to the Mongla port can cost only Tk 3,000 to Tk 4,000. On the other hand, the cost has now increased to range between Tk 14,000 and Tk 16,000 for using the Chittagong port, the BJSA leader said in the press release.brBesides, trucks loaded with exportable jute goods remain stranded at the Doulatdia-Paturia ferry point in absence of an adequate number of ferries, the association said.brTo address the problem, the association urged the government to introduce the 'priority export cargo' at the Doulatdia-Paturia ferry channel and increase the number of ferries, especially for facilitating transportation of exportable jute goods.br