Export earnings thru Akhaura Land Port up despite pandemic

Export earnings through Akhaura Land Port in Brahmanbaria increased by more than Tk155 crore in 2020-21 FY over the previous financial year despite the Covid-19 pandemic.
 
According to port officials, in the 2020-21 financial year around 13 lakh 23 thousand 925 tonnes of goods worth Tk697.70 crore were exported to India through the port.
 
They said export earnings increased mainly due to the export of large quantities of fish.
 
Faruk Mia, general secretary of the Akhaura Land Port fish exporters' association, said, "We export various frozen fishes to India including pangas, rui, catla, mrigal, silver carp and pabda. In fiscal year 2020-2021, an average of 80 to 90 tonnes of fish were exported every day, including around 30 tonnes of pangas."
 
Bangladesh began exporting goods to India through Akhaura Land Customs Stations in 1995. Later, Akhaura Land Port was established as a full-fledged port in 2010.
 
Since then different products, including frozen fish, rods, cement, stones, plastics, cotton, edible oil, coal and various food items, have been exported to India every day through this port. These products are supplied from Tripura to the northeastern states of India.
 
However, Indian traders have reduced the import of goods from Bangladesh in the last four years as better road and rail communication has been established between the north-eastern states. Despite that, 15-20 types of goods worth $2-3 lakh were exported from Bangladesh every day before the pandemic. But exports declined sharply when the pandemic hit the country.
 
The port was closed for 20 days in two phases amid the pandemic. In the first phase, Indian traders stopped importing from March 24 to April 3 last year and in the second phase from June 7 to June 15 to prevent the transmission of coronavirus.
 
Later, due to the lockdown across India, traders from other states were forced to import fish, edible oil, rods, cement, cotton and some food items through Akhaura Land Port from Bangladesh.
 
Traders in Bangladesh said the demand for Bangladeshi essential commodities in Tripura and neighbouring states has increased recently. In particular, demand for fish has increased several times. As a result, export earnings have increased.
 
However, despite the increase in export earnings, import of goods from India through Akhaura Land Port has further declined. In financial year 2020-21, dried fish and ginger worth more than Tk1.09 crore were imported from India. From this import, the government earned revenue of Tk32 lakh 68 thousand.
 
And in the 2019-20 financial year, dry goods worth Tk1.17 crore was imported from India through the port. The revenue income in that financial year was Tk40 lakh 49 thousand.
 
Mohammad Ali, revenue officer of Akhaura Land Customs Station, said, "Export income increased in fiscal year 2020-21 compared to fiscal year 2019-20. But even though export earnings increased, the number of products was less. The export earnings increased as a result of exporting more fish. However, the amount of fish exported has not been calculated separately."
 
Akhaura Land Port Import-Export Association General Secretary Shafiqul Islam said, "Due to the horrors of Covid-19, the internal communication system of various states of India is closed. That is why traders in Tripura and the surrounding states increase the import of goods through Akhaura to meet the demand for their daily necessities. That is why export earnings have increased." ***