Both volume and value of import from China have declined by 20.87 per cent and 8.29 per cent respectively from January 1 to February 15 due to impact of Coronavirus outbreak there.
Import of some 30 major products of manufacturing sector, especially of apparel, declined up to 76 per cent in that period, according to data of the Customs Wing of National Board of Revenue (NBR).
The major products, whose import declined, include clothing accessories, denim fabric, plain cotton woven fabric, woven fabrics of synthetic yarn, dyed woven cotton fabrics, and some chemicals used in apparel industries.
According to official data, import of products from China declined by 2,49,311 tonnes, while value of import dropped by Tk 15.78 billion from January 1 to February 15 of the current fiscal year (FY), 2019-20.
Some 944,827 tonnes of goods were imported from China in that period with a value of Tk 174.41 billion.
In the same period of last FY, import volume from China was 1.1 million tonnes with a value of Tk 190 billion.
The Customs Wing recently prepared the data following request of the Ministry of Commerce (MoC) to conduct an impact analysis of Coronavirus outbreak.
Apparel sector leaders sat in a meeting with the MoC officials on Thursday, to discuss about the current crisis regarding procuring raw materials from China.
The Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) first vice president Mohammad Hatem, who attended the meeting, said they discussed about the current situation.
The apparel sector has found no alternative to China for importing raw materials at reasonable cost, he also said.
"We have explored suppliers of Korea and India to import raw materials, but found that the original source of their basic raw materials is also China."
Mr Hatem alleged that prices of local raw materials, such as - industrial salt, dice chemical, and soda etc, also increased by 20 to 50 per cent, as a vested quarter is taking advantage of the crisis.
The apparel sector will face a severe blow due to disruption in supply of raw materials, he added.
Import of clothing accessories and coloured plain cotton woven fabrics declined by 61 per cent in the period from January 1 to February 15 of FY 20.
It is followed by coloured denim (less than 85 percent cotton) 48 per cent, knitted or crocheted fabrics of synthetic fibres (dyed) by 57 per cent, denim (more than 85 per cent cotton) by 58 per cent, other woven fabrics of synthetic yarn with non-textured polyester filaments by 56 per cent, and dyed woven cotton fabrics by 60 per cent.
Besides, import of di-ammonium hydrogen orthophosphate (di-ammonium phosphate) dropped by 50 per cent, sewing thread of synthetic filaments by 58 per cent, flat knitting machines and stitch-bonding machines by 76 per cent, dyed 3 or 4-thread twill (incl. cross twill) by 48 per cent, different parts by 19 per cent, and textured yarn of polyester by 50 per cent.
The Customs Wing officials said import of goods from China consists of 27 to 29 per cent of total import.
They opined that if the slowdown in import from China persists, the wing might lose 7.0 to 8.0 per cent of its targeted revenue.
A senior customs official said they are preparing another detailed report on impact of the import decline from China on revenue collection.
"The report will be placed before the Ministry of Finance in a meeting next week."
The official noted that most of the imported items from China are raw materials that enjoy duty-free facility.
Mainly, local apparel sector imports its raw materials from China under duty-free facility, he added.
Some of the customs offices, including Kamalapur Inland Container Depot (ICD), might face a major setback in their revenue collection following Coronavirus outbreak in China.
Kamalpur ICD Commissioner Anwar Hossain said some 90 per cent of the imported products of the customs house come from China.
Revenue collection of the customs house might face a severe blow due to slowdown in import of items from China, he concluded.
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