Bangladeshi exporters face problems in shipping goods from Dhaka

Exporters of fresh fruits and vegetables complain of troubles regarding the shipping their goods. Th…

Exporters of fresh fruits and vegetables complain of troubles regarding the shipping their goods. They say this is a result of the enforcement of a rule by Custom House, Dhaka, which facilitate overseas trade and travels through Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

Exporters said the customs house in Dhaka started real-time assessment and examination of exported goods and export-related documents from August 1. They added that most flights bearing cargo containing perishables are at night, when it is difficult for them to furnish all export-related documents.

Also, when there are losses of goods during transport or due to damage, exporters have to amend their documents from the Online Exp Monitoring System (OEMS), maintained by the Bangladesh Bank. However, most exporters of fresh produce do not have user IDs or passwords issued by banks and cannot update their documents in real-time.

Regarding this issue, the Agriculture Ministry has been approached with demands to relax the rules and allow correcting export-related documents up to 48 hours after shipments. The Ministry requested the BB and the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to resolve the issue.