If the capacity of Chittagong Port can be increased, it will be possible to lower the cost of doing business in the country by at least 5 percent.

Also, foreign entrepreneurs will be more interested to invest in this country.

As production starts in full swing at the Bangabandhu Industrial City and other economic zones of the country, the pressure on Chittagong Port will go up manifold.

The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FBCCI) made the observations Thursday and called for increasing the capacity of the port.

FBCCI President Md Jashim Uddin said: "The speed of cargo vehicles on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway is 40km per hour now. If this speed is doubled, the competitiveness of the export sector will increase by 6 percent."

Read: No increase in edible oil price now, govt decides after meeting with traders

Chemicals imported through Chittagong Port have to be tested separately before unloading. However, Chittagong Customs does not have an adequate laboratory, and it takes importers 10 to 12 days to get tests done.

FBCCI Vice-President Md Habib Ullah Dawn said importing vehicles through Chittagong Port costs twice as much as Mongla Port. "Such widely differing costs at different ports of the same country are unreasonable."

The FBCCI president said immediate steps should be taken to remove these bottlenecks.