The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has requested the National Board of Revenue to allow the import of all types of raw materials, including yarns, through Bhomra, Sonamasjid, and Darshana land ports.
BGMEA President Faruque Hassan made the request to the NBR chairman in a letter sent earlier this month, seeking permission from the customs houses concerned.
The letter also said in a meeting, headed by the NBR chairman, on October 17 decided to allow imports of those goods through these three ports but till date there was no statutory regulatory order (SRO) issued in this regard.
In the letter, the BGMEA said the lion’s share of Bangladesh’s yarn import is made from India only through the Benapole land port.
As a result, RMG owners are facing difficulty since there is no scope for importing yarns through railways.
Due to the economic downturn, raw material prices are going high everywhere.
The energy crisis has caused overall production costs to go high.
Under the circumstances, the BGMEA president wanted scope for importing yarns and other raw materials by roads through Bhomra, Sonamasjid, and Darshana land ports and also through rail, the letter added.
If their demands are met, RMG owners believe that the sector would be able to maintain its competitive edge during this crisis time.
Presently, apparel makers can import yarn through Benapole land port.
Besides, they can only utilize the Chittagong port for partial imports of yarns under the same LC.
Importing through the Chittagong port takes too much time.
Many RMG owners import yarn through Benapole land port to meet shorter lead times, but existing regulations prohibit partial imports there.
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