Fresh fruits traders have demanded that the assessment value of imported dates be fixed as per international prices aiming to keep supply and prices of such items stable during the fasting month of Ramadan.
To this effect, Bangladesh Fresh Fruits Importers Association (BFFIA) recently requested the commerce secretary to take necessary steps.
Members of the association have been importing dates from different countries.
Date is a most sought after food item imported in large quantities for Ramadan.
Like previous years, there is a demand for around 60,000-70,000 tonnes of dates for the month of Ramadan this time too.
But the local traders fear for import of such commodity due to higher assessment value imposed by the customs.
The general customers cannot buy dates due to higher prices and a volatile situation might be created in the market.
Assessment value means that the customs office concerned determines the prices of dates after import.
When contacted, BFFIA president Serazul Islam claimed that if the customs offices fix the prices of imported dates as per international prices, the general customers could buy such fruit at affordable rates from the market.
He requested the government to rationalise the prices of imported dates so that supply and prices of the item remain within purchasing capacity of general customers during the upcoming month of Ramadan.
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has reduced import taxes on dates to keep its prices stable during the holy month.
It has come down from around 64 per cent to 39 per cent, according to a NBR notification issued on November 21.
The annual demand for date in Bangladesh is around 0.11 million tonnes.
Around 50,000-60,000 tonnes of dates are required only for the month of Ramadan.
In recent years, import of dates has decreased. Generally, traders import dates from the KSA, UAE, Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan, Iraq, Iran and Pakistan.
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