Mohammad Suman

Local consumers now have to spend more on edible oil as prices are rising in the international market almost every week due to decreased production in exporting countries, weakening of supply chain and stockpiling amid the pandemic.

Bangla Food and Beverage Ltd tried to export one tonne of foods in place of 22 tonnes declared to claim higher cash incentives from the government against foreign sales, said the Chattogram Customs House.

State-run Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation’s net profit dropped 14.21 per cent in the last fiscal year because of a decline in fuel sales amid the pandemic-induced demand collapse.

The Chattogram Custom House continues to operate with around half of the authorised posts being vacant, hampering its supervision on tax evasion and monitoring of import-export goods.

Chattogram Maa O Shishu Hospital is planning to extend its services for residents of the port city, with a full-fledged 100-bed cancer hospital and research institute.

A tripartite agreement between two local trade bodies and the Japan External Trade Organisation (Jetro) was signed yesterday to strengthen private sector engagement in trade and investment between Japan and Bangladesh.

MS Selim Machinery, a Jashore-based company, imported car parts from India through the Chattogram Port in March this year.

The price of edible oil has risen in local markets amid stockpiling by large economies owing to the potential threat of a second wave of the coronavirus and a rising cost of all products worldwide, according to market players.

The price of onion is declining because of an increased arrival of the key cooking ingredient, much to the respite of consumers, who have already been hit hard by higher prices of rice and vegetables.

Luxury hotels in Chattogram has seen a 60 per cent drop in business due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, according to industry insiders.

A group of individuals are forging the signatures of officials of the commerce ministry, the Department of Livestock, Atomic Energy Commission and the Department of Agricultural Extension to release undeclared goods, according to Chattogram customs.

Chattogram Customs House yesterday seized 36 tonnes of baby food items, citing of finding evidence of the importer -- Siam Enterprise -- using a fake website and forging the commerce ministry’s seal and signature.

Chattogram customs house is going to hold its first online auction on October 27 as it seeks to offer a simplified and transparent participatory process to draw more bidders, attain higher prices and free up space at the port’s yards.

Over the first nine days of the current month, importers brought more than 2,500 tonnes of onion from four countries -- Myanmar, China, Pakistan and Turkey.

Wholesale prices of both imported and locally grown onion shot up by Tk 5 to Tk 10 per kilogramme within a span of 24 hours in Chattogram city’s Khatunganj market despite the arrival of stocks from alternatives to India through the port.

Saint Martin’s island is on the verge of witnessing a new chapter in tourist transport as a vessel formerly engaged in ferrying people in Japan is due to pioneer a route connecting the coral isle to Chattogram via Cox’s Bazar.

Wheat consumption in Bangladesh has more than doubled in the past six years for changing food habits, increasing demand and exports of bakery products.

Onions became Tk 20-25 cheaper per kilogramme (kg) in the last three days thanks to declining prices at the Khatunganj wholesale hub and increased efforts from traders to import the kitchen staple from eight countries.

The Khulna-based Sundarban Enterprise received a consignment of 157 tonnes of onion at Bhomra land port on 14 September. It came from AA Enterprise of India. The import price is Tk 25.70 per kg, according to customs documents.

Taking note of last month’s catastrophic blast in Beirut port, customs authorities in Bangladesh have started auctioning off around 278 tonnes of chemicals and food items lying unclaimed at the Chattogram port since 2008.