Trade thru land ports comes to a halt
Bangladesh's trade with India through most of the land ports has come to a halt since Monday as the neighbour went into a lockdown the previous day in an effort to contain the spread of deadly coronavirus.
Twelve land ports under Bangladesh Land Port Authority wore a deserted look yesterday, as the Indian shutdown came at a time when the Bangladesh government announced a 10-day general holiday from March 26 for the same purpose.
Bangladesh earned Tk 195.44 crore in revenue in fiscal 2018-19 by exporting 1,335,930 tonnes of goods and importing 20,321,077 tonnes through the land ports, according to the port authority.
Most officials were absent yesterday at the Benapole land port, which accounts for about 60 per cent of the $6 billion bilateral trade between the two nations.
The authorities of Sonamasjid land port in Chapainawabganj closed its operations yesterday for four days, as its counterpart at Mahadipur land port of Maldah in India's West Bengal did the same.
"The Exporters and Importers Association of Mahadipur land port sent a letter on Monday afternoon, requesting us to close trade through the ports," said Harunur Rashid, general secretary of Sonamasjid Land Port Clearing and Forwarding Agents Association.
The port will open on March 28, he said.
However, the National Board of Revenue has ordered all the customs houses and customs stations to keep running with the minimum workforce for release and taxation of goods that are exported on an emergency basis or for medical purposes amid the outbreak.
In Bangladesh, the virus has so far infected 39 people, of them 4 died.
China first alerted World Health Organisation (WHO) to several cases of unusual pneumonia in Wuhan and the country announced its first death from the virus on January 11.
Later the WHO confirmed Covid-19 as pandemic that has spread to at least 177 countries and territories, killing over 17,000 people and infecting nearly 400,000, according to Johns Hopkins University.
In India, 30 states/union territories imposed a statewide lockdown on March 22, covering a total of 548 districts.
The lockdown will continue until March 31 in India, the major trade partner for Bangladeshi land ports.
The virus has affected trade through Benapole land port to a great extent, according to port users.
Some 200 trucks go from Bangladesh to India a day whereas around 500 Indian ones enter Benapole port on an average on any regular day, they said.
Around 6,000 trucks stranded at Petrapole port in India have been waiting for a go-ahead to enter Bangladesh, said Abdul Jalil, deputy director of Benapole land port.
Sonamasjid land port stopped foreigners' entry to Bangladesh on March 15, said Jafar Iqbal, immigration officer of the port.
On March 22, Bangladesh suspended entry of all foreign nationals through 11 land ports of the country.
The land ports are situated in Bhomra, Banglabandha, Hili, Burimari, Roumari, Darshana, Nakugaon, Tamabil, Shaola and Akhaura.
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