Fruit Import via Benapole Halted Indefinitely Due to Extra Tariffs

Benapole: Fruit importers at Benapole port have halted the import of fruits indefinitely due to the imposition of additional taxes. As of Monday, the import of fruits through this land port has come to a standstill.

Ziaur Rahman, General Secretary of the Benapole Importers and Exporters Association, confirmed that no fruits will be imported from India via this port until the additional tariffs are withdrawn.

According to customs sources, the import of fruits through Benapole port has dropped to less than half of its usual amount. Previously, the daily revenue from fruit imports alone was approximately 25 crore taka, but this has now reduced to only 5 crore taka.

Local fruit importers stated that a significant portion of the revenue at Benapole port comes from fruit imports. With Ramadan approaching, the demand for fruits increases in the country. However, the sudden imposition of extra tariffs on fruits just before Ramadan has prompted the business community to issue an ultimatum to halt fruit imports. Normally, between 50 to 70 trucks carrying various types of fruits were imported daily through the port, but this number has now dwindled to 20-22 trucks.

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) suddenly increased the supplementary tariff on fresh fruit imports from 20% to 30% on January 13. As a result, the supply of imported fruits in the market has decreased, leading to a rise in fruit prices, making them unaffordable for common buyers. Due to the high tariffs, importers are unable to bring in fruits at the same rate as before. Consumers have strongly demanded the withdrawal of the additional tariff on fruits before Ramadan.

Ziaur Rahman, General Secretary of the Importers and Exporters Association, stated that the government’s unexpected 10% increase in supplementary tariffs on fruits has had a detrimental impact on land ports like Benapole. This has led to a drastic decline in imports. As a consequence, the fruit traders' association in Badamtali, Dhaka, has announced the indefinite suspension of fruit imports starting Monday.

Kamaruzzaman, Commissioner of Benapole Customs House, confirmed that since last month, the import of various fruits from India has significantly decreased at the port. Following the additional tax imposition, traders have now halted fruit imports indefinitely. He further mentioned that fruit importers from Dhaka have submitted letters to the National Board of Revenue requesting the withdrawal of the extra tariff, but no response has been received yet. He assured that appropriate action will be taken if any directive is received regarding this matter.