Smuggled spices flood port city market, importers concerned

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Our Correspondent CHITTAGONG, Oct 2: Spices importers here today said large quantities of spices are entering the country illegally through different routes on the India-Bangladesh borders that has reduced import by about 50 per cent over the last three or four months. Leaders of Khatungonj Trade & Industries Association said this at a press conference at Chittagong Press Club this afternoon. Secretary of the Association Syed Sagir Ahmed gave a detailed description of the smuggling of spices from India while the Association president Mahbubul Alam, also senior vice president of Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry, briefed the media. Smuggling of cardamom, cinnamon, clove, cumin and black pepper from India through five routes along the border increased alarmingly over the last few months leading to revenue loss of Tk 20,000 million annually, Syed Sagir said in his written statement. He said 75 per cent of the spices are supplied to the local markets by smugglers along the India-Bangladesh border. Spices entering through Akhaura, Feni, Chowddagram Mia Bazar and the routes on the North Bengal borders have captured the markets in Noakhali Chowmuhani, Feni, Comilla Chawkbazar, Dhaka's Moulavibazar, Pabna, Syedpur, Rangpur and Rajshahi, he said. "Such unbridled illegal inflow of spices has weakened our economy and is about to compel the legal traders to suspend import of the same," Mahbubul Alam said. He said import cost of one kg of cardamom is Tk 1750 while the same is selling at the local wholesale market at Tk 1250 per kg. "We have to count loss of Tk 300 to 400 on one kg of cardamom while we are paying Tk 100 billion to the Continued to page 7 Col. 5 Smuggled Continued from page 8 col. 3 public exchequer every year. How long shall we count the loss on legal trading while the smugglers are given free hand?" Alam said. Two thousand tonnes of cardamom and 6000 tonnes of cumin are smuggled into the country annually on account of which the nation loses Tk 20,000 million, he added. "Unless the government takes urgent steps and checks illegal entry, the import of spices will be reduced and the government will lose a big amount of import duty and taxes," he said. The press conference was also addressed by panel mayor of Chittagong City Corporation Chowdhury Hasan Mahmud Hasni, Jamal Hossain, Manik Chowdhury, Nurul Absar, Mohammed Yasin and Mohammed Harun.