BENAPOLE, July 17: Some 20 thousand metric tons of foods and raw materials worth $ 2,85,908 have been imported from India by rail through Benapole port in the last 12 days.
The government earned a revenue of Tk 300 million (30 crore) and the railway department earned over Tk 0.83 million (8 lakh 33 thousand 508).
Due to lockdown in India, the import of food, raw materials through Benapole land port was suspended for two and a half months.
Traders are now preferring to import goods by railway. Imported products include onion, ginger, turmeric, cumin, dried salt and rice seeds.
As a result, the import of goods by rail is increasing day by day through Benapole Port.
Badsha Mia, general manager of a raw material importing company, said that millions of taka worth of goods was stuck in India port area due to the coronavirus. Importers lost millions of taka due to the goods getting damaged on stranded trucks on the Indian side.
Considering the loss of the importers, Benapole Customs Commissioner Belal Hossain Chowdhury requested permission to import all items by rail through Benapole Port.
Benapole Customs House Commissioner Belal Hossain Chowdhury said the import of foods and raw materials by land has been stopped due to the coronavirus. Import of these raw materials has now started by rail with special permission.
He said, Customs authorities have increased the manpower led by the IRM team so that traders could get delivery of the goods quickly. Customs officials are working 24 hours a day to clear the goods coming by rail.
Benapole Railway Station Master Saidur Rahman said that earlier, raw materials including food items were not imported by rail through Benapole port. At present, the revenue collection of the railways has increased as the import of these products has started.
Due to the announcement of lockdown by the Government of India, import of all types of goods from India through Benapole land port has been stopped since March 24. For the convenience of traders, goods are now being unloaded at Benapole port 24 hours a day.
Naeem Miron, revenue officer of Benapole Customs House, said traders were more interested to import goods by rail through Benapole port as it took less time. There are many products in the pipeline to be imported by rail.
Matiar Rahman, director of the India-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce, alleged that a powerful syndicate has been formed at the Indian port of Petrapole to stop import of goods by rail.
