Apparel exporters warn against unregulated terminal handling charges

THE Sri Lanka Apparel Exporter's Association (SLAEA) — representing the country's largest industrial export sector and a major contributor to foreign exchange earnings yesterday expressed concern over recent attempts by certain intermediaries to reintroduce Terminal Handling Charges (THC) that are not reflected in the Sri Lanka Ports Authority's officially approved tariff.

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SLAEA Chairperson Rajitha Jayasuriya warns that such efforts threaten to reverse decades of progress in ensuring transparency and fairness in the logistics cost structure for importers and exporters.

The Association insists on the Government to uphold the regulatory stability restored by the existing legislative, cautioning that any attempts to reintroduce unauthorised charges could distort freight costs, hurt exporters and reverse Sri Lanka's global gains in maritime logistics.

"The issue of unregulated fees has a long history, with the Fair-Trading Commission of Sri Lanka ruling in 1997 against arbitrary charges imposed by shipping agents, following strong opposition from the trading community," she added.