Traders suspend import thru Hili land port
Bangladeshi importers on Saturday suspended onion import through the Hili land port as India increased the export price of the item to $1,150 a tonne.
On September 19, India had increased the export price of the item to $900 a tonne from $650 a tonne. Earlier, the Indian government had raised their minimum export price from $250 a tonne to $650 a tonne when the price of the item jumped in their domestic market.
The government of India has so far increased the export price of onion four times in the last four months.
Onion importers said the government of India on Friday increased the export price of onion by $250 a tonne and the total onion import cost would now be stood at Tk 90 a kg.
They also said that there was no possibility to import onion from India in three or four days as they needed time to revise the previous papers for import at new price, reports New Age Kurigram correspondent.
Traders said that they were thinking whether they would import onion at new price amid the ongoing instable political situation in Bangladesh.
‘If frequent hartal takes place in the country, it would be very much difficult to market the perishable item in due time,’ an importer said.
Sources at the Hili land port said that Bangladeshi importers were supposed to import a total of 250 tonnes of onion through the land port on
Saturday but the Indian custom officials barred to enter the trucks into Bangladesh until the new price is ensured by the
importers.
Hundred of onion laden trucks remained stranded on the Indian land in front of the land port, the sources said.
-With New Age input
