Traders threaten to halt fruit imports

The Bangladesh Fresh Fruit Importers Association has announced that if the hike in supplementary duty on fruit imports is not withdrawn by Monday, they will halt imports from Tuesday.

The organisation's Vice President Mohammad Faruk Siddique made the announcement at a press conference at the Dhaka Reporters Unity on Wednesday, reports bdnews24.com.

Traders are unable to run their businesses due to the increase in the supplementary duty and incurring "financial losses" on every shipment, he said.

"While it was possible to sell a truckload of fruits in a day in the past, it is now impossible to sell the same amount even in three to four days. As a result, it is unfeasible to unload the produce from the port. On top of that, shipping and port demurrage have to be counted also," he explained.

"So, if the supplementary duty is not withdrawn, the release of imported fresh fruits from all land and sea ports in the country will be halted for an indefinite period from Tuesday," he warned.

The government raised the supplementary duty on imported fresh fruit from 20 per cent to 30 per cent on January 9.

Faruk said the fruits produced in the country can meet 35-40 per cent of the domestic demand. The remaining 60-65 per cent of fresh fruits have to be imported from different countries.

"Most of the traders take loans from banks to conduct their business. At present, the bank's interest rate is high. The value of the dollar and inflation are also high. In such a situation, the imposition of additional duty on fresh fruits is nothing but a hasty decision."

The association's President Serazul Islam said that presently, they are now able to import half of the usual volume of fruits and only about 20 per cent of it is being sold.