Certification row halts fish exports at Akhaura land port

Fish exports to India through the Akhaura land port in Brahmanbaria have been suspended indefinitely due to complications over certification by the Department of Fisheries.

Since this morning (20 November), traders have been unable to export fish and dried fish through the port. Exporters say the country may lose at least Tk1.5 crore in export earnings every day unless the issue is resolved quickly.

According to port sources, 50–70 tonnes of frozen fish are exported to India through Akhaura land port daily. Various locally produced species — including rui, katla, pangas, tilapia, and pabda — are exported at a rate of $2.5 per kilogram. The Department of Fisheries issues the required certificates for exporting fish and dried fish.

It was learned that while the certificate had long been issued manually, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) instructed on 13 November to shift the process online.

However, as the Department of Fisheries has yet to implement the online system, exporters have been unable to process the bill of entry since this morning, bringing fish export activities to a halt.

Faruk Ahmed, general secretary of the Akhaura Land Port Fish Exporters Association, said, "The majority of the port's export earnings come from fish exports. Because no steps were taken to bring the certification process online as per the NBR directive, traders are now paying the price."

"Until the complication is resolved, fish exports worth at least Tk1.5 crore will be disrupted every day, causing the government to lose remittance," he added.

When contacted, Brahmanbaria District Fisheries Officer Jakir Hossain said, "We were not aware of the NBR directive. We learned about it only yesterday. We have already contacted the ministry today, and the issue will be resolved soon."