Apparel exporters have expressed anxiety over a three-day strike called by the Bangladesh Covered Van- Truck- Prime Mover Goods Transport Owners Association and Bangladesh Truck Drivers, Workers Federation.

A delegation of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) led by its acting President SM Mannan (Kochi) met Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal at his residence on Monday night and requested that steps be taken to resolve the problem, taking the interests of the industry into consideration.

The BGMEA delegation included Vice President Shahidullah Azim, Vice President (Finance) Khandoker Rafiqul Islam, Vice President Md. Nasir Uddin and Director Md. Khosru Chowdhury.

The BGMEA leaders said retail sales are growing in the major RMG export markets as stores are opening following mass vaccination there, and Bangladesh is getting a lot of work orders as a result.

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The issue of lead time is very important for the export-oriented RMG industry where every hour counts since manufacturers have to make shipment of products within the lead time specified by buyers.

So any strike at this moment will severely affect the industry, they said.

The BGMEA leaders urged the Home Minister to take steps to keep the transportation of export-import goods by road smooth and normal.

The Home Minister assured the delegation of addressing the problem through discussion with the leaders of transport associations, said a media release on Tuesday.

The BGMEA delegation said many buyers are demanding air shipment of products to make the delivery quicker as demand is rising sharply in their stores. Increased demand for air shipment has led to cargo congestion at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

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But lack of sufficient number of scanning machines at the airport causes delays in air shipment, they said.

Moreover, one of the two existing explosive detection systems (EDS) often remains out of service due to lack of proper maintenance, BGMEA said.

So, buyers ask to have exported cargoes scanned at Kolkata airport due to lack of sufficient number of scanning machines, which results in cost rise and is not good for Bangladesh’s image, they said.

The BGMEA leaders urged the Home Minister to take steps for increasing the number of EDS at the airport alongside regular maintenance.

The Home Minister assured them of addressing the issues.