Export of Nine Items Resumes
Akhaura land port earns a lot, gets little attention
Sheikh Shahidul Islam , B'baria
Export of nine items through Akhaura land port that came to a halt on Saturday following Indian importers' refusal to take delivery protesting price increase, resumed yesterday. The deadlock was resolved after Bangladesh authorities reverted to the prices of the items including Hilsha fish, small fishes, dry fish, stone chips, poultry feed, water pump spares, waste cotton and Chitagur (molasses). Six tones of fish, five tones of plastic goods, 1,000 bags of cement and a truckload each of dry fish and jute rope were xported through the land port yesterday. Akhaura land port in Brahmanbaria earned a revenue of about Tk 70. 86 crore in the current financial year till May. According to port sources, at least 35 varieties of goods were exported through the land port during last one year. Stone chips, fish, cement and dry sweets are at the top of the list of exported items. This is a very good performance for the land port though there has not been any development of infrastructure at the port, port officials said. The earnings could be much more had the port been modernised, they claimed. Customs Officer Md. Khurshid Alam said Bangladesh exports more than it imports through Akhaura land port. Most of the exports through Akahura port go to the seven north east Indian states called 'seven sisters'. Few Indian items including coal are imported through the port, he said. Bangladesh's exports to the seven sisters will increase if road links are improved and facilities developed at Akhaura land port, he said. The facilities are as they were two decades ago. There is no spacious place for loading and unloading goods. The port also lacks bank and large goodown. If anybody wants to open a letter of credit (LC), he is to go to Akhaura upazila Sadar or Brahhmanbaria district headquarters. The condition of the road to the land port is also precarious. It is so narrow that two trucks or two buses can not pass in running conditions, the officials said. Government acquired 15 acres of land for creation of infrastructure facilities and installation of modern equipment. But work on the development work is yet to start. On June 4, joint forces led by Akhaura upazila Nirbahi Officer Md. Kamrul Alam took possession of the acquired lands by evicting houses and shops.
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