The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has called for stringent measures against those involved in theft of export-bound goods on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway.
Over the past decade and a half, more than 2,000 incidents of robbery have taken place on the highway, with 22 recorded in 2022 alone, according to BGMEA President Faruque Hassan.
Expressing his concern at a press conference at the BGMEA office in Dhaka yesterday, he said the accused are often released on bail. They then resume their earlier activities, putting the industry at risk.
Faruque Hassan urged the authorities to take appropriate steps toward stopping these incidents and holding those responsible accountable.
At the press conference, Sparrow Group Managing Director Shovon Islam said his consignment worth $0.1 million was robbed from the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway last year. Those goods were bound for a top US buyer and have not been recovered yet.
He said to meet the export deadline, he had to make 8,000 pieces of garments promptly and send 10,000 pieces of products in total by air. His company was lucky to have enough fabrics in stock at the time. Otherwise he would have had difficulty meeting the shipment deadline.
Withdrawal of VAT, import duty on LNG demanded
The BGMEA president also demanded the withdrawal of VAT and import duty on LNG imports in response to the recent hike in gas prices, set to be implemented in February.
He said the sudden increase in electricity and gas prices has put a strain on the competitiveness of the industry and made it difficult for businessmen to bear the additional burden.
Faruque Hassan requested the government to increase gas and electricity prices gradually in line with global market prices and prioritise minimising system losses in gas supply and disconnecting illegal connections to reduce subsidies on energy.
RMG factories not using full capacity
Faruque Hassan also pointed out that the ready-made garment (RMG) factories are currently not using their full capacity due to a drop in work orders caused by the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and the volatility of the global economy.
Most factories are unable to run for eight hours a day and some have been keeping production suspended for two to three days a week, he said. ***
