Higher import duty slashes fish imports through Benapole, raises revenue concerns

Fish imports through Benapole Land Port, the country's largest land port, have dropped sharply since the FY2026-27 budget raised import duties on fish, with traders warning that the move could hurt businesses, employment and government revenue.

Importers said the National Board of Revenue (NBR) increased the overall duty on fish imports to 70% from 46%, significantly raising import costs and prompting many traders to suspend or scale back imports to avoid losses.

According to Benapole Customs, the duty on imported freshwater fish has risen to Tk131.60 per kg from Tk86.10, while the duty on marine fish and rui has increased to Tk66.10 per kg from Tk43.10.

Traders say the higher duties could reduce fish supplies, push up prices in the domestic market and ultimately lower government revenue if imports continue to decline.

Rahmat Ali, a fish importer, said demand for Indian fish remains strong in Bangladesh, but the higher duty has made the business far less profitable. "Many traders have already reduced imports because of the risk of losses," he said.

Another importer, Saiful Islam, said the revised duty structure has made it nearly impossible to earn a profit from importing fish from India. "If this continues, many small and medium-sized importers will be forced to shut down," he said.

The slowdown in imports comes as Benapole Customs is already struggling to meet its revenue targets. The customs house collected Tk6,559 crore in FY2025-26 against a revised target of Tk11,290 crore, leaving a shortfall of Tk4,731 crore, or about 42%. Officials fear the gap could widen further this fiscal year if higher duties continue to discourage imports.

The decline has also hit workers and transport operators at the port. Labourers said fish-laden trucks that once arrived regularly have become scarce, cutting their earnings, while truck drivers said imports would recover if the duty were reduced.

Ziaur Rahman, general secretary of the Benapole Importers and Exporters Association, said fish imports had already fallen after customs began assessing duties based on the number of truck axles rather than cargo weight. The latest duty hike has deepened the crisis, he said.

Benapole Transport Owners Association President Atikuzzaman Sony said daily fish imports have dropped from 30-35 truckloads to just four or five, leaving many transport workers without jobs.

Asawadul Islam, inspector at the Fish Quarantine and Quality Control Office at Benapole Land Port, said 25-30 truckloads of fish used to arrive daily before the budget. Imports have since fallen sharply, while total fish imports in FY2025-26 were already about 1,000 tonnes lower than the previous fiscal year and are expected to decline further this year.

Assistant Commissioner of Benapole Customs House Mukta Chowdhury said one crore 26 lakh  tonnes of freshwater fish and more than 74 lakh tonnes of marine fish were imported through Benapole in the last fiscal year. Since the new budget took effect, imports have totalled 386 tonnes of freshwater fish and 194 tonnes of marine fish over the past 22 days. 

Importers urged the government to review the higher duty, arguing that it is hurting trade, employment and revenue collection alike.