Business leaders yesterday expressed their deep concern over work abstention by clearing and forwarding agents in Chittagong, as it slowed their business.

The export of goods, including apparel items, slowed on the first day of the strike by the C&F agents at the Chittagong Port. Similarly, import activities through the port were also hampered seriously, businessmen said.

The economy will suffer if the actions of C&F agents hamper exports, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association said in a statement.

Acting BGMEA President Nasir Uddin Chowdhury urged the government to resolve the crisis as soon as possible through discussion for smooth operations of export and import activities at the port.

“Entrepreneurs will feel discouraged if exports are hampered by the strike," he said.

In a statement, Abdus Salam Murshedy, president of Exporters Association of Bangladesh, urged the government to solve the crisis through discussion as soon as possible for smooth running of export and import activities.Exporters may have to bear extra costs of airfreight --an alternative, but desperate measure to meet the deadline set by buyers, Murshedysaid.

"Production at factories will also be hampered if raw materials are not released from the port timely,” he said.

Agents at Dhaka Customs House and Benapole Land Port have also voiced support for the striking agents of the Chittagong Customs House. The Dhaka customs house agents observed three-hour work abstention from 9:00am to 12:00pm to show supportyesterday.

"Agents of other customs houses continued activities at the ports,” said Quazi Mahmud Imam, first joint secretary of Chittagong Customs C&F

Agents Association.

Imam said the C&F agents at Chittagong Customs House started work abstention to press home their six-point demand including proper valuation of goods in line with customs rules of 2000, stoppage of repeated inspection of the same goods by the customs department and good behaviour by customs officials with clients.

He said the officials of the Chittagong Customs House do not follow the rules and charge extra to release goods.

"We have been negotiating the issue with the officials for long, but the authorities remained indifferent forcing us to strike. If the movement continues, it will have serious repercussions on both export and import," he said.