Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN) - The suspension of all handling activities at Chattogram Port has dealt a major blow to the country’s foreign trade, particularly the ready-made garment (RMG) sector, industry entrepreneurs said, calling for immediate measures to restore operations.
Expressing deep concern over the disruptions to normal port activities, BGMEA Acting President Selim Rahman on Monday sent a letter to Chattogram Port Authority Chairman Rear Admiral S M Moniruzzaman, urging him to take immediate steps to ensure smooth port operations.
In the letter, he said protests by port workers and employees over the leasing of the New Mooring Container Terminal to Dubai-based company –DP World – have severely disrupted normal port activities, resulting in near paralysis of import and export operations of the RMG sector.
The BGMEA president noted that the garment sector is a time- and season-sensitive export industry, where timely import of raw materials, production and shipment within buyers’ lead time are critically important. Any failure to deliver goods on schedule could expose exporters to substantial financial losses.
He also mentioned that the ongoing blockade programme by workers and employees over the past two days, along with uncertainty over its resolution, has created deep concern among exporters and put ongoing export orders at risk.
Against the backdrop of declining global demand and rising competition, any prolonged disruption could seriously undermine buyer confidence and increase the risk of future export orders shifting to competing countries, posing a major threat to Bangladesh’s export sector, according to market operators.
BNN/SSR/AD