Garment exporters yesterday demanded a faster and more efficient service from the customs houses of Dhaka, Chattogram and Benapole ports as some of them are facing troubles in their business operations. Many garment entrepreneurs are becoming victims of harassment by a section of officials as notices are being served to factory owners for not attaching the details of back-to-back letters of credit with the utilisation declaration (UD) of bonded goods. There is a trust deficit regarding the services between the officials of the customs and bond facility users, said Rubana Huq, president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), at a meeting between the leaders of the trade body and the customs bond commissionerate, the customs houses of Dhaka, Chattogram and Benapole at the BGMEA office in Dhaka. Huq suggested forming a joint committee involving the officials of the Bond Commissionerate of Dhaka, the customs houses of Dhaka, Chattogram and Benapole ports and representatives from the BGMEA and clearing and forwarding agents for easing the activities of bond related issues in garment business. She also demanded automation of bond management so that the entrepreneurs can easily complete the audit efficiently. Huq also said recently officials of the customs bond commissionerate and customs intelligence have issued show-cause notices to factory owners and fined them during the inspection of bonded warehouses. As a result, exporters are facing trouble, she said. The BGMEA chief also suggested the bond commissionerate give the names of bond abusers to the trade body so that official action can be taken against the abusers. Md Azizur Rahman, commissioner of the Customs Bond Commissionerate of Chittagong, said they are ready to lend cooperation to achieve the target of $50 billion in garment export by 2021. He informed the meeting that a committee has already been formed in the Chittagong customs for resolving any customs related problem quickly.
