Some 133 trucks of fruits have been imported in the country through Benapole land port in two days till Saturday.
Assistant Commissioner of Benapole Customs House Md Shahadat Hossain said among the trucks, 70 trucks entered on Thursday while 63 trucks till 9 pm on Saturday.
On January 9, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) issued a directive increasing the supplementary duty on fruit imports by 10%, bringing it to 30%.
Fruit imports resume after two days of suspension at Benapole
As a result, the duty per kilogram increased by Tk 15 taka, reaching Tk 116, said Abdul Mannan, an importer.
Protesting the NBR’s decision, Bangladesh Fresh Fruits Importers called strike and the import through the port remained suspended on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Considering the consumers interest, the importers resumed import of fruit on Thursday.
They also threatened to go for tougher movement if the VAT is not withdrawn by February 14.
Mohsin Millon, president of the Benapole Import and Export Association, said the halt in fruit imports through Benapole land port over the past two days caused a significant price surge in the domestic market.
However, after the resumption of fruit import the price of fruits started to drop in the local market.
Import duty hike: Importers suspend fruit import through Benapole