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The country's freight forwarders on Saturday called for a review of the decision to increase cargo handling charges at ports, expressing concern that it would have a severe impact on the country's economy by hindering both exports and imports.
Protesting the move by container depot operators to raise these charges, they said that the decision would negatively affect foreign exchange earnings and could lead to the loss of foreign buyers for local products.
They mentioned that container handling charges would rise by an average of 20 to 50 per cent, with some charges increasing by up to 80 per cent. The decision is set to take effect from September 1.
The Bangladesh Freight Forwarders Association (BAFFA) made the call for a review of the charge hike at a press conference held at the Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) auditorium in the city.
BAFFA members, including Abrarul Alam, Adnan Md Iqbal, Munim Mahfuz, Anwar Hossain Milon, Abul Hasnat, Shamsul Haque, and Tariqul Islam Tarek, were present.
At the briefing, Abrarul Alam said the Bangladesh Inland Container Depot Association (BICDA) had recently announced an unreasonable increase of 20-50 per cent in container handling charges for export goods.
"This decision has raised serious concerns for the country's export-oriented economy, especially during this critical period," he said, adding that the decision came amid an ongoing global economic downturn, a sluggish local economy, political instability in the country, US tariff hikes, and overall market turmoil.
He explained that according to the BICDA decision, charges would increase from Tk 6,187 to Tk 9,900 for a 20-foot export container, from Tk 8,250 to Tk 13,200 for a 40-foot container, and from Tk 8,250 to Tk 14,900 for a 45-foot high-cube container.
"In addition, new charges have been imposed on almost all services, including empty containers, lift-on/lift-off, documentation, and ground rent," he said.
The BAFFA members expressed concern that the decision would have a detrimental effect, including setbacks for exporters, reduced foreign currency earnings, and the loss of foreign buyers.
They presented a three-point demand including immediate reconsideration of the decision, and government intervention.
They also called for implementation of measures to improve services, enhance transparency, and increase operational efficiency in depots, instead of raising tariffs.
BAFFA currently has around 1,200 members. Following allegations against the previous committee, the government has appointed an administrator to oversee BAFFA.
A freight forwarder serves as an intermediary in global trade, coordinating logistics such as rate negotiations, bookings, documentation, customs clearance, and insurance to ensure cost-effective delivery of goods from origin to destination.
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