Business Desk :
The Bangladesh Inland Container Depot Association (BICDA) has increased the handling charges of export products and empty containers by 25%.
The move came following a meeting between BICDA and Bangladesh Freight Forwarders Association in Dhaka on Sunday (21 August) afternoon.
Earlier, the private inland container depots (ICDs) had increased the handling charges by 23% on 4 November last year on both import and export goods.
On 11 August, BICDA increased the handling charge on imported goods by 35% citing fuel oil price hike. After the increase in import charges, handling charges for empty containers were increased by 24% on 17 August.
Charges increased by a total of 58% in two phases over a span of nine months.
With the recent rate hike, handling charges for export goods have increased by 48%. One twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) container handling cost about Tk7,511 before November 2021, now it has increased by Tk5,569 to Tk13,080.
After fixing the import and export handling charges in 2010, BICDA increased them by 16% in 2016 and later by 15% in March 2020.
In 2021, all ICDs handled 7.2 lakh TEUs export containers and 2.92 lakh TEUs import containers. In 2021 Chattogram port handled 32 lakh TEUs containers.
BICDA Secretary General Ruhul Amin Shikder told that the machinery used in ICD operations is powered by diesel. So ICD charges have to be increased due to the recent fuel price hike.
BGMEA Vice President Rakibul Alam Chowdhury said that the increase in the export handling charges will increase the cost of their business.
“It will be difficult for Bangladesh to survive in the international competitive market,” he told.
Bangladesh Freight Forwarders Association Vice President Khairul Alam Sujan said BICDA had proposed a 42% increase in handling charges for export goods.
“However, after discussion in the meeting, it was decided to increase the charge by 25%,” he told.
