Spain's Inditex makes maiden shipment of BD RMG thru Delhi

Inditex has become the first shipper to use a new land-air corridor out of Bangladesh via India, following a bilateral agreement.

The first freighter service, a 747-8F operated by Atlas Air, departed from Delhi Airport on Monday for Zaragoza in Spain carrying some 124 tonnes of cargo, where Inditex has a logistics centre.

Inditex, a Spanish multinational clothing company headquartered in Arteixo, Galicia, in Spain is the biggest fast fashion group in the world and operates over 7,200 stores in 93 markets worldwide.

The consignment was mainly ready-made garments (RMG), the mainstay of Bangladesh's export trade, which has expanded market share as global importers increasingly search for alternative markets to doing business with China. Booked RMG exports from Bangladesh for the first half are up 15.5%, year on year.

The first transshipment move, from Bangladesh to Delhi, involved a five-day journey by road, using a fleet of some 20 trucks, according to industry sources, The Loadstar, a news portal for the freight and logistics industry, reported on Wednesday.

The shipment followed a trial, handled by Delhi Air Cargo on March 3, under the cross-border transshipment arrangement. The Indian transshipment connectivity is a big boost for Bangladesh exporters that are reeling under direct/reliable supply chain constraints. Delhi Airport has expansive international flight connections and wider market reach than Dhaka.

However, for the coming month, the cost of land transport in Bangladesh is expected to spike as Ramadan begins. On March 21, trucking rates in Chittagong increased between 40% and nearly 100%.

Chowdhury Zafar Ahmed, secretary general of the Bangladesh Covered Van-Truck-Prime Mover Goods Transport Owners Association, told The Loadstar that some truckers were now charging up to $450 for a Chittagong-Dhaka trip, up from about $240.