Raise Ctg port’s capacity to cut business cost, says FBCCI

The cost of doing business may come down by around 5 per cent if the capacity of the Chattogram port is increased, said Md Jashim Uddin, president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) yesterday.

Foreign entrepreneurs will also feel encouraged if the cost of doing business can be reduced, he said at the first meeting of the FBCCI Standing Committee on Ports and Shipping yesterday.

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

He said the pressure on the Chattogram Port will increase a lot if production starts in full swing in Bangabandhu Industrial City and other economic zones of the country. At present, the speed of cargo vehicles on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway is 40 kilometres per hour. If this speed is doubled, the competitiveness of the export sector will increase by 6 per cent, he said.

Chemicals imported through the port are required to be tested separately before unloading and it takes 10 to 12 days for the importers to get the tests done, he said.

"Immediate steps should be taken to solve these problems related to the port."