BGMEA wants quick release of imported goods

Staff Reporter :
The entrepreneurs of the country’s readymade garments (RMG) industry demanded easy customs procedures for quick release of imported goods.
The customs rules include easing of examination procedure at the port’s Jeti and ensuring duty assessment and goods delivery in a single day for exporting in lead time.
The RMG exporters said sometimes Audit Investigation Research (AIR) wing and Jeti officials weight fabrics all of the imported goods and impose penalty at high rate if difference between gross weight and net weight is found.
As a result, it takes additional time and the exporters incur losses. So, the rule needs to be relaxed for the sake of quick release of the imported goods, they said.
Besides, more manpower needs to be recruited for ensuring duty assessment and delivery in a single day, they said.
The entrepreneurs said that the RMG industry is still struggling to recover from the unprecedented crisis caused by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
Under this circumstance, the support and cooperation of the Chattogram customs Houses would help the apparel industry to recover from the adverse impact of the pandemic and to retain competitiveness in the global market, they added. Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President Faruque Hassan said these in a meeting with Chittagong Customs House Commissioner M Fakhrul Alam at the latter’s office in Chittagong on Tuesday.
In the meeting, the BGMEA president said that the RMG industry is rebounding from the unprecedented crisis caused by pandemic.
 In view of this situation, support and cooperation of the Chattogram Customs House are very much essential, he added.
Faruque Hassan also said easing of customs procedures would help apparel exporters to take delivery of their imported goods on time, which is necessary to maintain lead time as specified by buyers.
BGMEA First Vice-President Syed Nazrul Islam said that retail sales are growing in Europe and the US following the mass vaccination, which has resulted in increasing flow of work orders to Bangladesh.
Support of all stakeholders, especially customs house is required to make use of the opportunity, he added.
M Fakhrul Alam, Commissioner of the Customs House, said that they are carrying out round-the-clock activities to help the RMG industry to recover from the impacts of the pandemic and maintain economic growth.
BGMEA Vice President Rakibul Alam Chowdhury, Directors Tanvir Ahmed, Abdullah Hil Rakib, Haroon Ar Rashid, Navidul Huq, Rajiv Chowdhury and Md Imranur Rahman, among others, were present at the meeting.