Inoperative explosive scanner slows garment export through Dhaka airport: BGMEA

Apparel export through Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) has slowed down once again as two machines equipped with explosive detective system (EDS) went out of order at the airport.

"Two EDSs has remained inoperative for the last one week stopping scanning of exportable garment items," said Faruque Hassan, president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).

"These were the last EDS at the airport for scanning the cargoes."

Only the dog squad has been scanning the goods over the last one week, he said.

Exporters said the dog squad can scan a maximum of 110 tonnes a day although daily 1,200 tonnes of export cargoes come to the HSIA for EDS scanning.

If two EDS machines remain functional, some 800 tonnes of cargoes can be shipped from the HSIA a day, Hassan told The Daily Star today.

He made the comments after a meeting with Md Mokammel Hossain, civil aviation and tourism secretary, at his secretariat office in Dhaka.

The ministry assured them that two EDS scanning machines would be installed at the HSIA on October 14, Hassan said.

In the meeting, Hassan has urged the government  to take immediate steps to fix the inoperative EDS machines.

He also called for increasing the number of scanners to speed up the scanning of export cargoes, BGMEA said in a statement.