Halt yarn imports through land ports, textile millers demand

FE REPORT

The country's primary textile millers on Monday demanded an immediate halt to yarn imports through land ports, alleging that the lack of proper monitoring has allowed for the illegal and misdeclared entry of the raw materials for the garments industry.

They also opposed any hike in gas tariff and demanded that the rate should be set below Tk 20.

They urged the interim government to reduce bank interest rates to support the industry. Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) leaders placed the demands at a press conference held at Gulshan Club in the city.

BTMA President Showkat Aziz Russell accused Indian textile millers of dumping yarn and fabric into Bangladesh at below-production costs, creating unfair competition for local millers.

The local millers also cannot utilise their full production capacity due to gas shortage, he claimed.

If 'illegal' import of yarn through land ports continues, the textile sector might face the same fate as jute mills, he added.

The BTMA president said, "We have already requested the government to stop importing yarn through land ports and impose anti-dumping duties on Indian yarn."

He claimed that the government has been slow to impose anti-dumping duties compared to other nations.

He demanded suspension of yarn imports through land ports until the capacity of these ports is enhanced to prevent false declarations of yarn imports.

He urged the interim government to take steps to investigate the dumping of Indian yarn.

Despite a rise in garment exports, local textile millers are facing a significant backlog of yarn, with stocks worth up to Tk 80 billion to Tk 100 billion. At the same time, imports through land ports continue to rise due to false import declarations, he alleged.

Munni_fe@yahoo.com