FROM PAGE B1

Bangladesh PLC, which is mostly owned by foreign investors, said the industry is going through a tough time due to slowing construction activity.

“The demand remains stagnant. Higher energy prices and increased raw material costs due to the war in the Middle East have dealt a further blow to the sector.

At this stage, any rise in water transport-related costs will affect the supply chain,” he said.

Md Aminul Islam, managing director and chief executive officer of Nabil Group of Industries, estimated that transporting commodities such as wheat, lentils, soybean meal and maize would increase by Tk 36 per tonne through waterways.

He said inland waterways account for as much as 90 percent of transport for essential commodities.

“We ship commodities to various hubs such as Barishal and Ashuganj through lighter vessels after unloading them from mother vessels at the port,” he said.

“So, ultimately the increased cost will fall on customers,” he said.

Inflation has been staying above 8 percent for more than three years, with no sign of easing despite a tight monetary policy maintained by the Bangladesh Bank for more than a year and a half.

Cargo operators said business has declined as several large business groups now use their own vessels to move goods from ports to factories and distribution points.

Kazi Abdul Karim, legal affairs secretary of the Bangladesh Cargo Vessel Owners’ Association, said operators will not be able to pass on higher costs due to slowing imports and higher vessel supply.

A former executive committee member of the Bangladesh Oil Tanker Owners’ Association said the construction of a petroleum pipeline between Chattogram and Dhaka has affected the revenue of oil tanker owners. “We are transporting roughly 45 percent less petroleum than in the past,” he said.