58% Bangladesh's hajj quota unmet amid high inflation

Shahab Uddin from Lohagara in Chattogram wished to perform hajj this year on behalf of his late elder brother – a practice known as proxy hajj or hajj al-Badal.

The 47-year-old completed the pre-registration under the religious affairs ministry but backtracked on the plan due to the substantial expenditures ranging from Tk6 lakh to Tk8 lakh in 2024.

Just like Shahab Uddin, thousands of Bangladeshi aspiring pilgrims refrained from completing their final registration within the 18 January deadline due to high inflation.

Hajj agencies primarily attribute the high airfare for driving up the cost of the hajj package.

Additionally, the devaluation of the taka against the US dollar and the Saudi riyal, along with the volatile political situation surrounding the national election held earlier this month, were also identified as reasons behind the low turnout of registrations.

According to the agreement with Saudi Arabia, 1.27 lakh Bangladeshi nationals are allowed to perform hajj this year, but only 53,173 have completed their registration. This means that there is still 58.13% of the hajj quota unfulfilled.

In such a situation, the Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (Haab) has requested the Ministry of Religious Affairs to further extend the deadline by a few days so that other aspirants can be included in the final list.

The ministry has contacted the Saudi authorities in this regard. Despite the possibility of the deadline being extended further, sector insiders fear that the quota may remain unfulfilled, similar to last year.

In 2023 also the country fell short of the hajj quota for the first time by around 3,500, attributed to high costs.

"I performed hajj in 2018 myself. Even after registering late on an emergency basis, the cost remained below Tk4 lakh. But this time, it is almost 50% more. If the cost had been less, I could have performed hajj on behalf of my brother," Shahab Uddin told The Business Standard.

A Bangladeshi pilgrim will have to spend around Tk7-8 lakh on average to complete the total formalities of hajj, which has discouraged many aspirants, said sector insiders.

Three airlines transport hajj pilgrims from Bangladesh, with Biman comprising 50%, Saudia 35%, and Flynas 15% of the total share.

Explaining the increase in fare by Biman Bangladesh Airlines, Mahmodul Hoque Pearu, proprietor at Hoque International Tours and Travels, a Chattogram-based agency providing hajj and umrah pilgrimage services, told TBS, "Now umrah passengers are getting a round-trip flight ticket for Tk70,000. Whereas hajj pilgrims have to pay Tk2 lakh.

"Also, the taka has depreciated against the dollar and the Saudi riyal. Due to the increased cost, many people are unable to go for hajj despite their desire."

The agencies said airfare could be decreased by at least Tk40,000-50,000.

Haab President M Shahadat Hossain Taslim told TBS, "Many are unable to afford the cost of hajj. They are performing Umrah. Although the cost of a hajj package has decreased since last time, the cost seems high due to the depreciation of the taka. But in reality, the cost is less this time."

He thinks the national election held earlier this month and the opportunity to perform umrah for 10 months of the year are among the reasons for the low registration of hajj.

Asked whether there is a chance to adjust the cost of the hajj package, he said, "There is no other option left except to reduce the air fare. In other segments, the costs are kept at the lowest level."

Umrah is another Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca that can be undertaken at any time of the year, while hajj is observed on specific dates according to the Islamic lunar calendar.

Moreover, hajj is a week-long Islamic ritual and a must for financially capable Muslims at least once in their lifetime.

"As many have registered, a similar number is still in the pipeline. However, hajj agencies tend to keep it for the final moment, which should not be done at all. In doing so, they get the hotel rent a little cheaper," Religious Affairs Minister Faridul Haque Khan told TBS on Monday.

"But they don't want to understand that the Saudi government has fixed our date. In such a situation, we do not have the issue of extending the deadline. We are coordinating with the Saudi government; if they allow, we can extend it by a day or two," he added.

Stating that the quota will not be filled even if the registration time is increased, he said, "I think at most 80,000 will want to go to the final."

When asked if there was an opportunity to reduce the hajj package cost by bringing down the air fare, he said, "We have reduced the package price by Tk82,000. There is no chance to reduce it further."

The hajj registration started on 15 November and continued till 10 December. The ministry later extended the deadline till 31 December, and following the poor response, extended it again till January 18.

Saiful Islam, director of Hajj Office Dhaka, said, according to the rules of the Saudi government, "We have to complete all the registration work by 31 January and send the information to Saudi Arabia by 7 February. So even if we want, we cannot extend the time by more than two-three days, subject to their permission."

This year, hajj is set to take place on 16 June, depending on the sighting of the moon.