Customs houses trying to start export-import process manually

In an effort to ease the owes of export and import businesses amid a prolonged internet blackout, the country's customs houses are trying to clear consignments – especially perishable goods, industrial raw materials and food items – manually. 

Acting upon instructions from the National Board of Revenue (NBR), the customs authorities have also started processing export activities in the same manner. 

The Benapole Customs House says it has already started the process to clear perishable items.

"After getting instruction from the NBR, we started the process to manually clear perishable items such as green chili and tomato from Saturday," Mohammad Abdul Hakim, commissioner at the Benapole Customs House, told The Business Standard.

The Benapole port handles the highest amount of perishable goods, according to officials at the land port.

Nurul Huda Azad, commissioner at Dhaka Customs House, told TBS, "We have already started processing bills for some export goods especially perishable items manually. However, due to the absence of freight forwarders, clearing of imported goods has not started yet."

"But our team is ready to process export and import bills manually," he added.

Considering volumes, Chattogram is the largest port which handles around 90% of the country's export and import items.

According to Chattogram Port Authority (CPA), no imported goods were cleared from the port on 22 July.

However, during the 24 hours from 8am on 21 July to 8am 22 July, more than 2,100 imported twenty-foot equivalent (TEU) containers were unloaded and about 1,900 TEUs export consignment loaded.

The port – known as the key gateway for the country's seaborne international trade – handled more than 5,000 containers on that day.

However, they have no information about the resumption of export-import process.

Mohammad Hatem, executive president of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), told TBS, "We don't have any information about the resumption of import-export process."

A customs official at the NBR told TBS, "Customs houses are processing export bills manually, and after getting internet, we will manage it by ASYCUDA software (special software for export import process)."

"But as the banking process are not available due to internet disruption and freight forwarders are not available due to curfew – it is quite tough for us to clear imported consignments," he added.

NBR sources said, besides perishable items, the revenue authority has already instructed the country's customs houses to clear the process of industrial raw materials and food items as well.

According to the CPA, the port, which has capacity of holding 53,518 TEU containers, is already got stuck with more than 42,000 TEUs. In the last five days, over 7,300 TEUs have arrived at the port as import and export almost halted.

In a meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today, the country's business leaders requested for restoring internet connection at the earliest possible time to facilitate export and import activities, which have badly impacted by the complete shutdown and internet blackout.

Already hit by falling orders and gas shortage, the export sector takes further blow as internet blackout from Thursday night, which still ongoing.

According to Mohammad Hatem, around $160 million of exporters are being hindered per day.