Dwaipayan Barua

Prices of locally grown and imported onions have seen a sharp fall in Dhaka and Chattogram, as India has recently resumed export of the vegetable after a five-and-a-half-month ban.

The coronavirus pandemic that is sweeping the world has taken a heavy toll on Bangladesh’s foreign trade through Chattogram port.

The owners of private inland container depots (ICDs) stopped transporting export containers of three foreign companies since yesterday morning to press home their long demand of a 22 per cent rise in tariff.

The government is set to construct a deep seaport at Matarbari in Cox’s Bazar to help the country handle rising volumes of exports and imports and ease the pressure on the Chattogram port.

Container transport between Chattogram port and 18 inland container depots (ICDs) resumed yesterday after an 80-hour work abstention, for which some 2,631 TEUs of containers missed their shipment deadline.

Container transport between Chattogram port and 19 private inland container depots (ICDs) remained suspended for around 34 hours until yesterday afternoon due to work abstention by drivers and helpers of prime mover-trailers.

Bangladesh produced 96.07 million kilogrammes of tea last year, its highest in 166 years, on the back of favourable weather round-the-year and supportive measures.

Chittagong port posted a 3.32 percent growth in container handling in 2019, the slowest in seven years, pointing to a slowdown in economic activities.

Unloading of imported bulk cargo from the outer anchorage of Chattogram port and different private jetties (ghats) across the country, as well as transport of previously-unloaded goods by lighter vessels through inland water routes remained suspended since early hours of yesterday, due to a wildcat work abstention enforced by a section of water transport workers.

Unloading of 32 lakh tonnes of imported goods from 1,343 cargo vessels remain suspended across the country due to the work abstention enforced by water transport workers since this midnight.

Business owners in Chattogram port feared that bulk cargo management would be disrupted, putting an impact on the supply chain, as a faction of water transport workers announced work abstention for an indefinite period since yesterday midnight.

Prices of onion at Khatunganj, one of the biggest wholesale essentials markets, saw a downward trend in the last three days as supply increased.

Two container vessels left Chattogram port yesterday without taking 303 TEUs export-laden containers as they could not be loaded on time thanks to work abstention by transport workers and owners on Wednesday.

Wholesale prices of onion in the port city have started to drop, after four days of market monitoring drives that started on Sunday, but retail prices are not yet reflecting the trend.

Chattogram district administration has identified 18 market players allegedly responsible for manipulating the prices of onions imported from Myanmar, as well as for selling those in black market.

Retail prices of onion from Myanmar and India have shot up by Tk 10-20 per kg in port city’s kitchen markets in last one week with the excuse of high prices at wholesale hub.

A rift has emerged in the Chattogram Awami League over Jatiya Sangsad whip Shamsul Hoque Chowdhury’s alleged patronisation of gambling at a sporting club and his son issuing a threat to a senior party leader.

Owners of private inland container depots (ICDs) have begun realising increased charges for container handling since Monday despite opposition from users who feared the cost of export and import would go up.

Private inland container depots (ICDs) are now overburdened as businesses started sending export containers seven to eight days before the scheduled shipments to avoid being affected by the nine-day Eid-ul-Azha vacation starting from today.

Cashing in on the growing demand for spices ahead of Eid-ul-Azha, the second largest religious festival of the country, traders have increased prices of spices to earn some extra buck.