3-day after start permission to import onions suspended : Hili importers demand continuation of onion import permit
Mahidul Islam Ripon, Dinajpur
Three days after the import started, the onion import permit (IP permit) has been suddenly stopped. This has raised fears that onion imports will be stopped again. As a result, prices may increase. Onion importers at Hili Land Port held a press conference on the issue.
A press conference was held at the Hili Land Port Import-Export Group's own office on Wednesday. The organization's general secretary, Nazmul Hossain, read out a written statement.
The written statement said that the government issued an IP (import permit) for onions on August 14. As a result, onion imports started through Hili land port from Sunday. This increased the supply of the product in the domestic market and the price was coming down. But from August 19, the IP was suddenly closed again.
Although importers applied, no IP is being issued. Due to this, importers are facing financial losses. After the issue of onion IP, many importers have bought onions from India. But due to the sudden closure of IP, more than a hundred trucks loaded with onions of several importers are stranded on the other side of the border. They demanded permission to import onions for those importers who have already applied for IP and have bought onions in India and loaded them on trucks.
They also said that if imports are open, the prices in the domestic market will come down. At that time, Hili Land Port Import Exporter Group Vice President Shahidul Islam, General Secretary Nazmul Haque, importer Ripon Hossain and many others were present there.
Earlier, onion imports from India began last Sunday (August 17) through the Hili land port.
Yusuf Ali, Deputy Assistant Officer of Plant Quarantine at Hili Land Port, said that no circular has been issued yet regarding the closure of IP.
