Chittagong Customs House is destroying 935 tons of dates that failed to pass quality inspection. The dates arrived in 34 containers late last year but could not be auctioned off after failing quality tests. As a result, the shipment is now being destroyed. Oranges, onions and cashew nuts are being destroyed for the same reason. Chittagong Customs House began the destruction process on Monday.
The information comes from Chittagong Customs House sources. The National Board of Revenue (NBR) also disclosed the news in a press release issued Tuesday.
According to the NBR press release, 126 containers of goods — including dates, oranges, onions, cashew nuts, soda ash and feed-grade limestone — are being destroyed. The initiative comes after these goods, unfit for auction and past their expiry, had sat at Chittagong Port for an extended period.
The destruction process, organized by Chittagong Customs House, is being carried out at a designated site behind the Chittagong Port Republic Club. The NBR said the destruction work is proceeding without interruption.
A Chittagong Customs House official said shipments of dates and other fruit arrived late last year. The 34 containers held 935 tons of dates in total. The fruit was never cleared because it failed quality testing conducted by the Plant Quarantine department — in other words, it was substandard.
The official said the soda ash shipments arrived in 2011 and 2013. Having sat unclaimed for years, they became ineligible for auction. This includes 40 containers of expired soda ash and 18 containers of expired feed-grade limestone.
The NBR press release said the destruction effort was undertaken because these goods, which had sat at the port for an extended period, were unsuitable for auction. Perishable and hazardous goods sitting at the port not only occupy space, it said, but also create risks for the environment and port security. Members of the Fire Service and Civil Defence, the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Ansar and local port police are present at the destruction site to provide security and overall assistance.
The NBR further said that destroying perishable and hazardous goods that have sat at Chittagong Port for extended periods will help ease container congestion at the port. It said this phased destruction of goods unfit for auction or otherwise required to be destroyed will continue to help ensure port security and environmental protection.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report