Imports have increased through the Benapole land port in Jashore amid the Corona pandemic. Compared to the fiscal year 2019-2020, extra 7.39 thousand metric tonnes of goods have been imported in the fiscal year 2020-2021.
According to Benapole Customs sources, 20 lakh 38 thousand 64 metric tonnes of goods were imported in the fiscal year of 2019-21 whereas, in the 2020-21 fiscal syear, 27 lakh 77 thousand 606 metric tonnes of goods have been imported.
In the financial year 2016-17, 15 lakh 19 thousand 220 metric tons of goods were imported and in the 2017-18 financial year, 19 lakh 88 thousand 398 metric tons of goods were imported.
Customs officials said that the revenue target for the 2020-21 fiscal year was Tk 6,244.62 crore. The revenue has been collected 4 thousand 100 crore. Revenue growth has increased by 57 percent. They said the revenue collection target has not been achieved as imports of high-duty goods have declined.
However, the revenue growth collection has increased by 57 percent as compared to the previous year which has surpassed all records of the past.
Abdul Latif, Joint General Secretary of Benapole Import-Export Association, said, Imports of high-duty goods through Benapole port have declined.
Many importers are not importing through Benapole port due to extensive restrictions on customs houses. Increasing the capacity of the port, revenue target will be fulfilled.
Benapole C&F Agents Association President Mofizur Rahman Sazan said the imported assessable value of the goods from the same country is the same value in all the custom houses of the country, the revenue through Benapole port will be increase.
Imported goods of the assessable value is much lower at Hili , Sonamasjid and Bhomra customs stations. The goods of the value is much high at Benapole Custom House.
The Importers are no agreeing to importing goods through Benapole port due to high value. The capacity of the port is 40 thousand MT to keep the goods in this port.
Now one and half lakh MT of goods is being kept the port. Unable to unload imported goods due to lack of space in the port, Indian trucks are standing at the truck terminal in the port day after day. Under the open sky, valuable goods are being destroyed by falling in the sun and rain.
Matiar Rahman, Director, India-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industries, said that Benapole port has no capacity. The storage crisis is long-standing. New land is not being acquired for keeping goods.
Although Benapole port has the capacity of 700-800 trucks of goods per day, due to lack of space, only 300 trucks are being imported at present.
Benapole Port Director Abdul Jalil said, new land will be acquired for port infrastructure development. CCTV cameras are being installed for the security of imported goods.
If these activities are introduced, the revenue will also increase with the import through this port.
Benapole Custom House Commissioner Md. Azizur Rahman said,Imports of high tariff goods have declined in the last financial year. Low tariff goods have been imported more. Rice is one of them.
Even then, the growth of revenue collection has been 57 percent higher than in previous years. If the Corona epidemic is normal, it is possible to meet the revenue collection target, he added.