BGMEA calls for halt in store rent hike at Ctg port
Port authorities decided to impose four times of the usual rate for storing goods after a deadline
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has demanded postponement of a decision to impose four times the usual store rent if import goods are kept at Chattogram port more than 20 days.
Syed Nazrul Islam, first vice-president of BGMEA, sent a letter in this regard to the chairman of Chattogram Port Authority on Monday.
To keep the delivery activities optimum, the port authorities issued a notice on 2 March imposing four times the usual rate for storing goods after 20 days.
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The order will come into effect on 15 March.
This fourfold increase in store rent will be effective on the 21st day since the unloading of the cargo from ships.
The BGMEA letter mentioned that following the ASYCUDA World System upgrade by the National Board of Revenue on March 4 and 5, customs clearance for shipments are being impeded due to server problems. As a result, taking delivery of shipments from the port is being delayed.
Therefore, the decision to impose a four-fold increase in store rent needs to be postponed. Otherwise, importers and exporters, including the fully export-oriented garment industry, will suffer huge financial loss, the letter read.
According to the Chattogram port authority, more goods are imported than usual ahead of Ramadan and a sluggish container delivery can be noticed at this time which creates a clutter in the port yard. To avoid such circumstances in this year, a decision has been taken to hike the rent for containers that are in FCL (full container load) category.
Importers have the opportunity to keep containers of imported goods in the port yard for four days without any charge. But for the following first week, they have to pay $6 rent per day for a 20-foot-long container. And the week after that, the rent is $12 per day for the same size container and $24 per day from the 21st day and onwards.
According to the new rules which will be effective from 15 March, the rent will be $96 per day for storing a 20-foot equivalent unit container from the 21st day after arrival.
