KARACHI, Nov 21: The Bangladesh minister for jute and textile assured the visiting Pakistani textile delegation of resolving their problems regarding the delay in payments and higher freight charges. A 10-member fact-finding textile delegation is presently on a four-day visit to Bangladesh to explore the possibility of joint ventures and relocation of textile units.
Talking to Dawn by telephone from Dhaka, delegation members said they had received positive response during their meetings with Bangladeshi officials and businessmen.
Aziz Jamal, a member of the Pakistani delegation, said they apprised the Bangladeshi minister about the delay in payments and higher freight charged by shipping companies because of an indirect route coming via Singapore.
In the absence of direct shipping service between Pakistan and Bangladesh, he said, all goods exported to Bangladesh went via Singapore and this resulted in higher freight charges.
Zahoor Ahmed, another member of the delegation, said that even on opening of letters of credit (L/Cs), payments were delayed by over two months which was against the international law.
Similarly, he said that against their normal charge of $300 per container for shipment to Hong Kong, shipping companies charged three times higher for the haulage of cargo meant for Bangladesh via Singapore.
Besides meeting private sector trade bodies, including the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association, the delegation members also met the chairman of Bangladesh’s Board of Investment and will call on the minister for industries on Monday.
Shabir Ahmed, head of the delegation and chairman of the Pakistan Bedwear Exporters Association (PBEA), said they got positive response from officials of the Bangladesh government and the private sector where environments were conducive to investment.
