Akhaura port sees surge in exports in FY24
Export earnings from Akhaura Land Port, one of the largest in the country, increased by Tk51.65 crore in the just-concluded fiscal year 2023-24.
According to information provided by Akhaura Land Customs Station authorities, products worth Tk428 crore were exported to India in FY24.
On the other hand, imports of goods such as stones, onions, ginger, and cumin amounted to Tk7 crore, reflecting a slight decline compared to previous fiscal.
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In FY23, products worth Tk376.23 crore were exported to India against imports of Tk66 crore, generating Tk56 lakh in revenue.
The Department of Customs earned Tk4.68 crore from the trade in FY24. The amount of revenue increased due to the high duty on stone imports, officials said.
Trade with India through Akhaura port in Brahmanbaria began in 1994. It turned into a full-fledged port in 2010 as the trade volume gradually increased.
Since its inception, the land port has been export-oriented. At present, various products, including frozen fish, rods, cement, plastic, edible oil, cotton, furniture and food items are exported to Tripura state in India. From there, exported products are supplied to the neighbouring state of Tripura.
Every day, at least 40-50 tonnes of indigenous fish species, including pangash, pabda and katla and about 70 tonnes of cement are exported through the port. The export price of each tonne of fish is $2,500. Each tonne of cement is exported at a price of $86. In all, on average goods worth $200,000 are exported to Tripura every day, said the officials.
Businessmen attributed various reasons for the decline in imports. They said all products are not allowed to be imported as per demand and LCs cannot be opened due to the persisting dollar crisis.
Md Hasibul Hasan, president of Akhaura Land Port Customs Clearing and Forwarding Agents Association, told TBS, "The dollar crisis has been going on for a long time. As a result, businessmen have not been able to open letters of credit (LCs) as per demand for importing products. Besides, most of the products that are allowed to be brought through Akhaura Land Port are not in demand in our area. It is not possible to make a profit by importing them."
He went on to add, "There is a good market for Indian cosmetics and clothes here. However, the National Board of Revenue is not allowing these two products to be brought through Akhaura Land Port. Besides, due to the ongoing economic crisis, we are placing more emphasis on export trade. We are trying to create a market for new Bangladeshi products in India."
Asked about the matter, Assistant Commissioner of Akhaura Land Customs Station Md Imran Hossain told TBS, "Export trade is much more important than import trade at present to earn dollars. As a result, the Customs Station authorities are extending all kinds of cooperation to the businessmen, including quick clearance of export product-laden vehicles."
He added, "According to the import policy, there are various tests and inspections in the case of many products, which take some time to bring from Dhaka or Chattogram. If there is no arrangement for these tests and inspections in Akhaura, the importers will suffer. Therefore, it will not be realistic to allow the import of all products without ensuring these facilities," said Imran Hossain.
