FBCCI President Md. Jashim Uddin demanded setting up of testing labs at the ports to ensure the faster delivery of imported goods and products and the uninterrupted production.
The FBCCI Chief made this demand in the 2nd meeting of the Standing Committee on Port and Shipping held on Wednesday afternoon at FBCCI.
Products imported through Chittagong port are sent to the capital for testing, which takes weeks or months delaying the delivery, increasing the cost of business, and disrupting the production, the President noted. Therefore, he demanded for the establishment of testing labs at the port.
FBCCI senior vice-president Mostofa Azad Chowdhury Babu urged businessmen to harness the potentials of land ports as India has given transit to Bangladesh.
Vice President Md. Habib Ullah Dawn informed, importers have to pay demurrage charges as the products remain undelivered in the name of testing. Earlier, the members of the Standing Committee complaint, customs officials are enthusiastic to penalize importers on unwillful HS Code mistakes as they receive 15 percent incentives on the fines imposed. Speakers called for the withdrawal of the incentives to end the harassment.
They also suggested bringing the entire system online to make HS code entry of products easy and accurate.
Chairman of the committee Dr. Md. Pervez Shazzad Akter said that the opening of Padma Bridge, Payra and Mongla Port enables the economy with new opportunities which require the further development of port infrastructure to be harnessed.
Director-in-charge of the committee A. M. Mahbub Chowdhury pointed the finger at the customs responsible for the container congestion. Expressing solidarity with the committee members, the Director-in-charge echoed the same demand of cancellation of incentives for customs officials on the penalty imposed on the importers.
Among others, FBCCI Director Bijoy Kumar Kejriwal, Hafez Harun, Md. Naser, Akkash Mahmood, Committee Co-chairmen Shahed Sarwar, Capt. A S Chowdhury, Syed Md. Bakhtiar, Anjan Shekhar Das, other members of the committee and FBCCI Secretary General Mohammad Mahfuzul Hoque were also present at the meeting.
