Cross-border smuggling of fuel oils, contraceptives, fertiliser rampant
Sunday, 21 October 2007
Shakhawat Hossain
Cross-border smuggling of contraceptive items, petroleum products, fertiliser and vehicle parts has increased significantly over the recent past causing much damage to the national economy, sources said.
The national taskforce on smuggling that met early this month was told that smuggling of contraceptive items, a new addition to the traditional ones, had marked a sharp rise following high demand and better price in neighbouring Myanmar.
Illegal outflow of the petroleum products, according to the meeting, has also increased following price adjustment of the item in Myanmar a couple of months ago, sources added.
Sources said the meeting expressed worries about the smuggling of contraceptive items and petroleum products as both the items are imported from abroad with valuable foreign currency.
The country that achieved significant success in family welfare programme during the last three decades, subsidises the prices of contraceptive items through the family planning programme.
A substantial portion of the Tk 50.00 billion health and family welfare budget is spent on the import of contraceptive items and its distribution to achieve the targets of increasing users' level at 72 per cent from the existing 58 per cent and fertility rate of each woman at 2.2 per cent from existing 3.0 per cent by 2010.
The steep price hike of petroleum products in the international market has become a major cause of concern for the country like Bangladesh that is struggling to foot its oil import bills of more than US$ 2.0 billion.
The meeting expressed concern over the new phenomenon and asked the authority concerned to take immediate measures to stop the smuggling of contraceptive items and fuel oils.
It also focused on the illegal transaction of goods between Bangladesh and India.
The meeting found that smuggling of 'cut-car' (dismantled vehicles, parts and accessories) from India to Bangladesh and chloroflurocarbon (CFC) gas in retail packing from Bangladesh to India has increased.
The CFC gas is used in refrigerators and air-conditioners. The import cost of such item in India is higher due to enhanced tax.
The smuggled CFC gas cylinder is cost effective for the Indian business as Bangladesh imports the item from China at a reasonable import duty, source said.
The meeting was told that a section of dishonest businessmen were smuggling old and rejected 'cut-car' from India and selling after assembling them.
As the cut-car is getting popularity in remote and border towns following its low prices, the meeting directed the road transport authority to gear up action to prevent such activities.
Cross-border smuggling of contraceptive items, petroleum products, fertiliser and vehicle parts has increased significantly over the recent past causing much damage to the national economy, sources said.
The national taskforce on smuggling that met early this month was told that smuggling of contraceptive items, a new addition to the traditional ones, had marked a sharp rise following high demand and better price in neighbouring Myanmar.
Illegal outflow of the petroleum products, according to the meeting, has also increased following price adjustment of the item in Myanmar a couple of months ago, sources added.
Sources said the meeting expressed worries about the smuggling of contraceptive items and petroleum products as both the items are imported from abroad with valuable foreign currency.
The country that achieved significant success in family welfare programme during the last three decades, subsidises the prices of contraceptive items through the family planning programme.
A substantial portion of the Tk 50.00 billion health and family welfare budget is spent on the import of contraceptive items and its distribution to achieve the targets of increasing users' level at 72 per cent from the existing 58 per cent and fertility rate of each woman at 2.2 per cent from existing 3.0 per cent by 2010.
The steep price hike of petroleum products in the international market has become a major cause of concern for the country like Bangladesh that is struggling to foot its oil import bills of more than US$ 2.0 billion.
The meeting expressed concern over the new phenomenon and asked the authority concerned to take immediate measures to stop the smuggling of contraceptive items and fuel oils.
It also focused on the illegal transaction of goods between Bangladesh and India.
The meeting found that smuggling of 'cut-car' (dismantled vehicles, parts and accessories) from India to Bangladesh and chloroflurocarbon (CFC) gas in retail packing from Bangladesh to India has increased.
The CFC gas is used in refrigerators and air-conditioners. The import cost of such item in India is higher due to enhanced tax.
The smuggled CFC gas cylinder is cost effective for the Indian business as Bangladesh imports the item from China at a reasonable import duty, source said.
The meeting was told that a section of dishonest businessmen were smuggling old and rejected 'cut-car' from India and selling after assembling them.
As the cut-car is getting popularity in remote and border towns following its low prices, the meeting directed the road transport authority to gear up action to prevent such activities.