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Efficient management cuts business costs at Ctg port
14th May, 2008
Strict vigilance and efficient management reduced the business costs at Chittagong port in 2007.
The move also helped raise exports and improve the lead-time, businessmen said.
According to available data, importers previously had to pay Tk 30,000 on an average for per less than container load (LCL) and Tk 20,000 for per full container load (FCL) TEUs at the port.
LCL is a shipment that is not large enough to fill a standard cargo container and FCL is large enough to fill that cargo container.
"Now the importers need to pay only Tk 2,900 for both the LCL and FCL, of which Tk 1,500 is being paid to freight forwarders and Tk 1,408 for port landing charge," said Mahbub Chowdhury, director, Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association.
Chowdhury said the shipping agents, freight forwarders and port and customs officials used to take away the additional charges without any legal ground.
Vested quarters stopped taking those additional charges with the introduction of some rules and regulations after the present caretaker government assumed power, he claimed.
The exporters had to pay Tk 13,000 as freight charges besides bribing port and customs officials and paying charges to the inland container depot.
"Now traders have to pay only Tk 600 as stamp duty instead of Tk 13,000," Chowdhury said.
President of the Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Anwar Ul Alam Chowdhury Parvez termed the current situation at the port as very positive, which has made the local exporters more competitive than ever before.
"We are paying no additional charges at the port," the BGMEA chief said.
“Bangladeshi exporters are getting more orders from buyers due to this competitive edge,” he added.
Abdus Salam Murshedi, a director of the BGMEA, said import is an essential component for the country's export trade
"A huge fall in overall cost has contributed much in increasing Bangladesh's export," Murshedi said.
The lead-time was a great hurdle, according to businesses. They said earlier it took 32 days to 35 days to reach a consignment to Europe from Bangladesh. Now the lead-time hovers between 25 days to 28 days, they said.
"Waiting time at outer anchorage to berth a vessel also reduced significantly at 5 days from previous 11 days,” Fazlul Hoque, president of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), said.
He said the timely customs clearance and efficient management of container also improved the situation.
Due to the changed scenario and the improvement in competitiveness, the country's export grew an impressive 21.25 per cent in March to reach the first nine months exports over US$ 10 billion amid more shipments of key garment items.
"Our exports continued to maintain a double digit growth. Both knitwear and woven items have done exceedingly well," said Shafyat Sohel, a garment exporter.
Release link:
http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=36422
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