In a letter to Chattagram Custom House Commissioner, Syed Nazrul Islam, Senior Vice President, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) urged customs authorities to make the clearance process more lenient by not imposing large fines.

This will help garment manufacturers address financial setbacks, Islam added. Fines imposed by the customs not only delay the permission process for product exports but also force garment makers to engage in expensive garment shipments to meet tight deadlines, he added further. 

Islam further emphasised on the need for streamlining the export process, especially after the submission of the bill of export.  He noted, Bangladesh’s garment exports declined by 13.90 per cent in October due to global economic slowdown.