Orange exporters in Samtse, one of the major orange exporting districts in the country, are facing an acute shortage of wooden crates this year. This, the exporters say, is due to the stoppage of the import of wooden crates from India and local wood-based factories failing to meet their demands.
Besides the letter of credit issues or LC caused by the dollar crisis in Bangladesh, orange exporters in Samtse have a new problem to worry about.
Without enough wooden crates, the orange export business is functioning at a snail’s pace today.
“We have paid one of the sawmills in advance and they have been able to make only about 1,500 crates in three months. The two depots here in Samtse need a minimum of 20,000 crates this season. I have used all my crates and now I am running short of it,” said Lhap Tshering, one of the orange exporters un Samtse.
“We have given the orders to the local sawmills available here. I have ordered about 10 to 12 thousand wooden crates but as of today, I have received only about 1 to 2 thousand crates. Now that the exports have started, these boxes will be used within 2 to 3 days,” said Dadi Ram Adhikari, another orange exporter.
The exporters also wanted to place orders at the Bhutan Board Products Limited but the company is already overburdened by the orders from exporters in Gelephu and Phuentshogling.
As such a few of them have even started to make wooden crates on their own. But, this, they say is further delaying the exporting process.
“I have brought the parts of the crates from another district and assembled it here by employing more workers. But when we transport, unload, and make the crates here, it is only incurring us more losses,” added Lhap Tshering.
As per them, the local wood-based industries in Samtse were supposed to make and supply about 20,000 wooden crates for the two exporters in Samtse by this time. They have received only about 2,500 crates so far. There are about four wood-based industries in Samtse.
Some of the saw mill owners said they had to bear huge losses as they were unable to sell hundreds of wooden crates last year. Many exporters prefer Indian-made crates as it is cheaper. On the other hand, the owners of the wood-based industries say things could have been different if they had given the orders earlier.
“We would not have faced the shortage if the orange exporters had ordered beforehand and not when the orange season is nearby. We could have agreed upon advance payment and set a target,” said Ugyen, owner of a sawmill in Samtse.
However, they said they are vigorously making crates for the past few months and have even put in more workers to meet the demand. As per the sawmill owners, today, a sawmill can only make about 150 crates in a day.
Currently, orange exporters are selling a crate of oranges for about USD 12 to 15 to Bangladesh. Samtse district exported over 80 truckloads of oranges to Bangladesh last year.
Passang Dorji, Samtse
Edited by Tshering Zam
