Bangladesh’s steel manufacturers have long been experiencing serious problems as the Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) is reportedly taking more time than usual in allowing them to unload their imported raw materials.   President of Bangladesh Steel Manufacturers Association (BSMA) Monwar Hossain in a letter to the CPA chairman on March 3 raised the issue expressing their grave concerns over it and demanded separate jetties for unloading their imported scraps, according to official sources.   He mentioned that the unusual delay in berthing the raw material-carrying ships made the situation horrible for their business.   “The mills are not getting adequate supply of raw materials to continue their production while the importers have to pay huge demurrage to shipping authorities for the excessive berthing delay,” he said in the letter.   “As a result, the price of raw materials for the steel-manufacturing industries is rising,” he added.   Also read: Realty sector hit as short supply pushes steel prices up   According to the BSMA, 58 vessels arrived at Chattogram port with about 1.328 million metric tons of scraps from September 2020 to February 2021 but each vessel had to face excessive delay in unloading the goods -- even up to 26 days.   Providing the statistics, the BSMA said the number of scrap-carrying ships is substantially rising, but the importers have to count huge costs due to the lack of adequate GI-berthing facilities at the port.    

Steel manufacturers expressed frustration over the proposed budget for the fiscal year 2020-21 saying that most of their proposals were ignored which they thought would not help overcome their crisis created after the coronavirus outbreak.

Ahead of the Finance Minister placing the national budget for the 2020-21 fiscal in Parliament, the country’s steel manufacturers have placed an 8-point list of demands, including extension of bank loan repayment date by 6 months, for which they wouldn’t like to see the central bank degrade their status as borrowers.