Rent for shipping containers gone high - GUTA

President of the Ghana Union of Traders Association Dr Joseph Obeng has called on stakeholders to urgently pay attention to the rising of freight charges across the world.

This situation, he believes could equally impact the price of goods and services in the country, moving forward.

Speaking to Joy News, the GUTA boss raised concerns about the need to give attention to the development.

“The containers that we have been renting have gone astronomically high – this is impeding importers. Most importers are not importing at this time. A lack of productivity in China and Europe is leading to containers coming in empty,” he told Joy News.

The Ghana Exports Promotion Authority (GEPA) on the other hand has hinted of some arrangements to be made to give relief to importers.

Deputy CEO of GEPA, Samuel Dentu explained that even though the government has no grasp on the business dealings of these international shipping lines, negotiations are the best resort.

“We have had lots of meetings with organizations in the freighting business to ensure that the goods of traders don’t get stuck offshore. GEPA does not have the authority to slash down prices. Meanwhile, we are in talks with the freight companies to be a middle organization that brings both parties together to ensure an affordable price for traders,” he revealed.

High freight charges are becoming a nightmare for traders and importers who say the cost of renting or shipping a container from Asia and Europe has skyrocketed from $3000 to $13,000 dollars.

Importers and Exporters, to this end, are pleading with the government to maintain charges at the ports despite the increase in international freight charges.