Commerce reporter:
Driven by imports of fuel oil and luxury
goods, the Chattogram Customs House collected roughly aka 28,000 crore in
revenue during the first four months (July-October) of the 2026-27 fiscal
year.
Container handling at Chattogram Port fell behind last year’s pace, but total
cargo volume and vessel arrivals improved slightly. Business leaders believe
the government’s recent incentives will help boost import and export volumes.
For the 2026-27 fiscal year, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) has set an
ambitious target of Taka 1.32 lakh crore for the Chattogram Customs House.
Sharif Md. Al Amin, assistant commissioner of the Chattogram Customs House,
said the office collected Taka 27,948 crore from imports through the port in
the first four months.
Of that, Taka 5,894 crore came in October alone, though collections in July,
August, and September were higher.
The NBR had set a target of Taka 42,637 crore for this four-month period, so
actual collection fell short. Even so, the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation
(BPC) was a key contributor.
It was the single largest source of revenue, paying aka 3,448 crore in fuel
oil import duties over the four months, of which Taka 1,268 crore was paid in
October.
Al Amin said customs authorities are making every effort to meet the targets.
“We are striving to reach our goals,” he said. Most revenue comes from fuel,
industrial machinery, and various luxury consumer goods.
In the same period, Chattogram Port handled 1,141,179 TEUs of containers,
slightly below the same period last year. Cargo handling and vessel berthing,
however, grew modestly: the port handled 45.3 million metric tons of cargo
and berthed 1,425 vessels.
Syed Refayet Hamim, secretary of the Chattogram Port Authority, said cargo,
container, and vessel handling all grew by two percent compared to last year.
The authority expects this trend to continue through December.
Akhtar Parvez, a director of the Chattogram Chamber of Commerce and Industry,
said that meeting revenue targets requires more economic activity in the
domestic market.
He said greater dynamism in major wholesale markets, such as Babubazar in
Dhaka and Khatunganj in Chattogram, would boost imports of goods, grains, and
raw materials and make the targets easier to achieve.
SM Saiful Alam, president of the Chattogram Customs Agents Association, said
government initiatives have helped resolve problems in the banking sector,
increasing trade in the major wholesale markets and giving import-export
activity more momentum.
As complications with Letters of Credit (LCs) and banking processes ease,
businesses are feeling more encouraged to import. If this continues, he said,
revenue collection should rise as well.
