30 percent hike in transport logistics blamed for price rise

JEDDAH — About 30 percent increase in transport logistics is to be blamed for the continued price rise of consumer goods, according to noted businesswoman Nashwa Taher. She demanded a review of the "infrastructure" of the Jeddah Islamic Port, and to gain benefit from the experiences of other countries in transport logistics. Ms. Taher, who is also head of the Jeddah Commercial Forum, called for opening the horizons for investors to develop specialized marine academics to address the problems of goods transportation. In an exclusive talk with Okaz daily, she said lack of coordination between the relevant government agencies and the conflicting procedures were among the major challenges in the commercial sector. "Traders incur considerable material losses, which also burdens labor causing the problem of rising prices," she said. Electronic linking of various ministries, she said, was of paramount importance if  time has to be saved in completing traders' transactions. Talking about the infrastructure of the port and transport logistics, she said everyone suffers because of the poor port infrastructure. "A trader has to deal with 12 points including customs, laboratories, quality control, and the Ministry of Health. Transportation is one of the major challenges faced by a trader, as there are no easy roads leading to the port. Trucks and small cars cannot move in the same direction. There should be re-planning of the infrastructure of the port to achieve a smooth exit of goods," he said. Ms. Taher said working hours at the port must be revised too so that the staff is available 24/7, because losing time affects the transport, storage and prices. She said by developing long-term strategic plans and taking advantage of the experiences of other countries, especially in light of the future of foreign investments, competitiveness can be enhanced between ports. "There is also a need to provide appropriate services and to overcome all the obstacles to open the door for factories and diversify the base of the local economy including the various industries. This, in turn, will create jobs and boost the industrial sector so that we can be ranked among countries exporting different trades," she said. How can students dropouts of public education be invested, and how can the private sector benefit from them? Talking about the best possible way of honing and utilizing skills of school dropouts, she said it was necessary to properly identify their expertise and meaningfully train them so as to prevent them from posing a threat to themselves or the community. "Here comes the role of specialized bodies that should provide training and rehabilitation programs," she said.