Theft of exported goods during transportation occurs in Pakistan occasionally. Recently a leading apparel exporter from Lahore was embarrassed when his buyer informed him of receiving about 16 percent of garments after inspection at the destination.
He had to compensate the buyer in addition to the inspection cost. On investigation, it was found that the consignment was for some reason transported from trucker premises to a container to the Karachi custom. The container truck took 6 hours to reach the destination against the normal time of two hours. The pilferage took place probably during this transportation. The loss was compensated by the insurance company but the supplier lost the confidence of the buyer.
This is not limited to Pakistan; apparel exporters from Bangladesh are also facing this problem. The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association asked law enforcement agencies to increase vigilance on the highways to prevent the theft of RMG export goods.
Leaders of BGMEA and the Bangladesh Truck Covered Van Owners Association (BTCVOA) have underscored the need for concerted efforts of exporters, transport owners, police administration, and other parties to prevent theft of apparel goods during transportation.
Besides financial losses, stealing incidents put exporters in an embarrassing situation when such cases are detected after products reach buyers. They advised all garment exporters to take photographs of drivers, helpers, and travel documents, including licenses of trucks and covered vans as a precautionary measure. The BGMEA leaders asked BCTCVOA to ensure that a GPS tracker is installed in all goods-laden cargo vans.
