B Mirror Report: Leaders of the Bangladesh Employers’ Federation (BEF), Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), and Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) voiced this concern in an open letter to the Chief Adviser on Saturday.

The letter was signed by BEF President Fazle Karim Ehsan, BGMEA Acting President Selim Rahman, BKMEA President Mohammad Hatem, and BTMA President Showkat Aziz Russell.

Describing Chattogram Port as the “lifeline of the national economy,” the business leaders said that 99 percent of the country’s container movement and 78 percent of seaborne trade are handled through this port. If a prolonged shutdown occurs at the port, the country’s main export sectors especially the ready-made garment industry would face irreparable losses. In addition, an artificial shortage of essential commodities could arise ahead of the month of Ramadan.

They further said that if ships remain congested at the port and operations are suspended, importers have to pay huge amounts of foreign currency every day as demurrage charges, which would put significant pressure on the national economy.

According to the business organizations, a dispute over the leasing of the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) has created a tense situation between employees and the port authority. In particular, legal actions and investigations initiated against the protesters have further complicated the situation.

The business leaders said that although continuous dialogue and coordination meetings have been held with all relevant parties over the past week to resolve the crisis, no effective solution has yet been found. As a result, they believe that any disruption to the supply chain and economic activities ahead of the national election would pose a major risk to the country.