As per the new SRO (statutory regulatory order)-- Freight Forwarding Agents (Licensing and Operations) Rules 2006-- a foreign freight forwarder has to guarantee an investment of US$1.0 million in the country while the amount is $ 0.5 million for a joint venture one.

At a press briefing in Dhaka, Rafi Omar, chairman of the newly formed Bangladesh Shipping and Logistic Service Providers Forum (BSLSPF), said the National Board of Revenue (NBR) has discriminatorily imposed high license fees, renewal fees and asked for bank guarantees.

Association of Cargo Agents Bangladesh (ACAB), International Container Shipping Association (ICSA) and International Freight Forwarding Association of Bangladesh (IFFAB) have jointly formed the BSLSPF to raise their voice against the NBR SRO No 107, issued on June 7 this year.

The BSLSPF chairman said, "Such arbitrary rules will lead to inefficiency in the supply chain and also loss the confidence of the global buyers."

He demanded restoration of the freight forwarders licensing rules under SRO No 289 of 2000 and 2001 instead of the latest one.

Around 10 foreign, 20 joint venture and more than 600 local freight forwarders are operating in Bangladesh where the foreign and joint venture ones are running around 40 per cent of export business.

Meanwhile, talking to this correspondent an entrepreneur said the foreign and joint venture freight forwarders, who remit a huge amount of foreign currency from Bangladesh but invest an insignificant amount in the country, sometimes hold hostage the exporters by imposing various charges and additional fees on the exporters.

Md Saifur Rahman and Mizanur Rahman, vice chairmen of the BSLSPF, among others, were present at the press briefing.