Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association president Mohammad Hatem said that the industrialist have proposed the government to provide Tk聽550 crore to import liquefied natural gas to address the ongoing gas issues in the country鈥檚 garment and textile sector.
He also said that they proposed it to Petrobangla and Titas, as the import of LNG is delayed due to financial constraints.
In an interview with The 抖阴精品 on Tuesday, he said that in this regard, they urged the state-run organisations to set a mechanism by which they can pay Tk聽550 crore for a container or Tk聽1,100 crore for two containers as bills of gas in advance and the gas must to be supplied only to the industries of the country.
He also said that the authorities should take strict measures to prevent system loss in the gas supply. In the past, the rate of system loss was about 13 per cent, which has been lowered to 10 per cent recently.
鈥業t means they have the ability to stop system loss and if they want, they can resolve it shortly,鈥� he added.
He also said that the manufacturers are facing issues in opening letters of credit with the banks.
Regarding labour issues, Mohammad Hatem said that the BKMEA is a pro-labour organisation that always tries to provide better facilities to the workers of its member factories.
The workers, labour leaders, and unions are also cooperating with the sector to grow and address the challenges.
鈥楬owever, unfortunately, a number miscreants have entered into the sector in guise of laboures, who are continuously trying to create unrest in the sector pressing their illogical and unrealistic demands,鈥� he added.
He alleged that being instigated by vested interests, they stage protests for the demands those go against the Bangladesh Labour Act.
Regarding the recent suspension of the transshipment to the third country through India, he said that all challenges pave the way for new potentials.
鈥榃e already initiated cargo flight from the Sylhet airport, even at the lower costs. If the government can manage it properly, it will be a game changer in the cargo transport,鈥� he added.
He also shared his view on the recent tariff imposed by the United States, urging the government to take immediate diplomatic action.
鈥�90-day pause by the US is not a permanent or sustainable solution. Our government should take immediate action through diplomatic channel to solve the issue so that we do not fall in trouble after 90 days,鈥� he added.
He urged the National Board of Revenue to reform the structural complexities to remove non-tariff barriers.
鈥楾o protect ourselves from the purview of the US tariff, we must narrow the trade imbalance. In this regard, we can increase the import of cotton, soybean and other products from the US,鈥� he added.
However, he added that the abnormal imposition of tariffs on Chinese products may accelerate the shifting of work orders to Bangladesh.
鈥榃e urge to the government to do something within 90-days timeframe. As time is limited, the government must step up to resolve this,鈥� he added.
Regarding the upcoming budget for the financial year 2025-26, he urged the government to abolish tariffs on importing solar system equipment, as this would accelerate sustainable manufacturing.
Moreover, he also urged the government to resolve all the complexities related to the taxation system.
The RMG sector has many outstanding dues from Russian buyers due to the complexities in the payment gateway. On the other hand, the country has to pay the bills for Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant to Russia.
In this regard, he urged the government to take necessary initiatives for getting outstanding dues from Russia or to seek a mechanism of a barter system to adjust the reciprocal payments.
