Khatunganj sees Tk1,500cr sales drop during blockade: Traders

The nationwide blockade enforced by the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami for three days disrupted business activities at Khatunganj, the wholesale hub for essential commodities, and container delivery operations at Chattogram Port.

As the movement of essential products across the country shrank, Khatunganj, home to about 3,500 businesses, including shops and warehouses, saw a 60-70% drop in daily sales, resulting in a net loss of around Tk1,500 crore in three days, according to traders.

Jamal Hossain, organising secretary of the Khatunganj Trade and Industries Association, told The Business Standard that many traders have kept their shops open since the first day of the blockade but sales were very few. 

"In Chaktai-Khatunganj, businesses transact around Tk1,500 crore worth of goods daily but the blockade reduced the amount of the daily transaction, causing traders a loss of roughly Tk1,500-Tk2,000 crore in three days," he said.

Solaiman Badsha, former president of Chaktai-Khatunganj Godown Traders Association, said every day, 250-300 trucks from Chattogram port and various districts across the country arrive at Chaktai-Khatunganj and Asadganj markets with consumable goods. A similar number of trucks and carts leave the marketplace every day, carrying goods to various destinations.

"Since the blockade began, no goods-laden vehicles from distant districts have entered the market, but the number of cargo vehicles entering the market has been increasing since Thursday afternoon," he added.

Despite the end of the three-day blockade Thursday, the BNP has announced another two-day blockade from Sunday. Businesspeople fear that continuous blockades could cripple the entire supply chain and further weaken the economy.

As the next election approaches, the opposition BNP and its allies are calling blockades "to force the government to resign" in favour of a polls-time government, while the ruling Awami League is determined to hold the election on its watch.

With the two parties at loggerheads, political observers believe that the situation may worsen before the election schedule is announced.

Container delivery at Ctg port plunges 

Under normal circumstances, Chattogram Port typically handles around 3,000 to 4,000 containers daily, with approximately 5,000 to 6,000 trucks, covered vans, and prime movers entering the port to collect these goods.

However, the three-day blockade was a significant setback for Chattogram port, with container deliveries dropping 32% on the first day and the slump continuing on the 2nd and 3rd days. The delivery of containers has not returned to normal yet.

According to the port authorities, container deliveries and handling data are measured from 8:00am to 8:00am the following day. On 2 November, which corresponds to 1 November, there were 2,982 TEU (Twenty Foot Equivalent Unit) containers delivered within this timeframe. On 1 November, which corresponds to 31 October, there were 2,788 TEU containers delivered.

Comparatively, container deliveries for the day leading up to the blockade, starting from 8:00am on 30 October to 8am on 31 October, stood at 4,105 TEUs.

Chattogram Port has a container holding capacity of 53,518 TEUs. As of 8am on 2 November, 32,042 TEUs of containers were piled up at the port yard. This is an increase of 3,008 TEUs from October 29, when the number of containers at the port yard was 29,034 TEUs.

Bangladesh Inland Container Depots Association (BICDA) Secretary General Ruhul Amin Shikder told TBS that the arrival of goods and shipment were somewhat normal in ICDs.

However, ready-made garment owners said the blockade has given rise to a transport crisis, leading to increased transport fares. For instance, the fare for each covered van travelling from Chattogram port to Dhaka has surged from Tk2,000 to a maximum of Tk7,000.

Rakibul Alam Chowdhury, vice president of BGMEA, told TBS, "Goods had to be transported at night. There was no problem on the road but we had to bear extra fare due to the blockade."