290 tonnes of duty-free onion enters Bangladesh as India resumes export

A total of 290.8 tonnes of duty-free onion was imported through Bhomra port in Satkhira on Saturday – the first day of onion export resumption after a ban of 3.5 months imposed by the Indian government.

From afternoon till 6:30pm on the day, 11 onion-laden trucks entered Bhomra through India's Ghojadanga port, said Akbar Ali, revenue officer at the Bhomra port assistant commissioner's office.

He said the Bangladesh government had cancelled onion import duty when the onion market became unstable because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

"That decision is still in effect. That is why no duty was collected from the onion trucks," he added. 

Maqsood Khan, treasurer of Bhomra C&F Agents' Association, said 30 onion trucks were supposed to come from India on Saturday.

"I hope 50-60 trucks will come Sunday," he added.

The Indian authorities banned the export of onions on 14 September last year. The restriction was withdrawn on 29 November.