Despite court order, Ctg Custom keeps importer’s pink salt cargo stranded for nearly two months

A High Court order directing Chattogram Custom House to release an imported raw material consignment within seven days has gone unimplemented for more than one and a half months, leaving the importer burdened with storage and shipping charges that have risen to nearly twice the value of the shipment.

On 21 May, the court ordered the release of the shipment within the timeframe after receiving its order. Chattogram-based food processor Warda & Jubayer Agro Industry Ltd imported it, according to documents obtained by TBS.

The shipment arrived at the Chattogram Port more than two months ago and has been stranded since then, forcing the importer to incur extra storage and shipping charges while his factory has been struggling with raw material shortages.  

Pink salt, also known as rock salt, is widely used for food preservation. In recent years, demand for pink salt has increased sharply, driven by consumer perceptions of its health benefits.

According to the custom data, 4800 tonnes of pink salt have been imported between May 2025 and May 2026. 

Yasir Arafat established the company in Boalkhali upazila of Chattogram to process frozen food and snacks using imported mineral-rich rock salt and Himalayan pink salt as ingredients.

The factory employs around 50 workers and operates with approvals from authorities including the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority. Bida has also approved an annual import entitlement of 700 tonnes of rock salt for the factory.

According to Yasir, they imported around 186 tonnes of rock and pink salt over the past two years through the port without major complications. The custom usually released each shipment within five to 10 days.

That changed after the company’s latest import in May this year.

The factory imported a 28-tonne consignment of rock salt from Pakistan and submitted Bill of Entry on 4 May.

Despite submitting required documents, as with earlier consignments, the container remained stuck at the port, forcing the importer to file a writ petition with the High Court on 20 May.

After hearing on 21 May, the court ordered the custom authorities to release.

However, the custom received the order on 1 June.

On 23 May, the custom issued a letter signed by Assistant Commissioner Towhida Islam and sent it through the post office on 1 June stating that the consignment could not be released without a No Objection Certificate from the Ministry of Industries.

The importer received the letter on 7 June, a month after the submission of the Bill of Entry and 16 days after the court order. However, every day’s delay was costing the importer around Tk40,000 in port charges and shipping demurrage.

The letter mentioned that the importer failed to submit the required entitlement from the ministry and industrial salt used as a raw material can only be imported by genuine industrial users within entitlement limits as per the Import Policy Order 2021-24 and the National Salt Policy 2022. 

“I have imported seven consignments in the last two years. Custom authorities never asked for an NOC from the ministry. Assistant Commissioner Towhida Islam was the same officer in-charge of the unit that cleared two of my earlier consignments without asking for an NOC,” Yasir said.

When asked about assessing and clearing pink salt earlier, Towhida told TBS, “After I joined this unit, I did not clear any consignment of pink salt without an NOC because the law and policy made it mandatory. I am not responsible for what happened before my joining.”

According to documents, Towhida was posted at Taxation Section-2 of Chattogram Custom House on 6 December 2025. However, she was transferred from the post on 7 April this year, just five months after her joining but she continues to serve in the post.

The importer’s lawyer Mohiuddin Ahmed served a contempt notice on Towhida on 11 June. 

In her reply dated 16 June, she said the government had filed an appeal against the court’s order on 15 June. 

However, on 2 July, the Appellate Division disposed of the appeal without granting any stay order. Instead, it directed that the petition be heard by the appropriate High Court bench.

On 7 July, representatives from the importer again visited Chattogram Custom House to submit the certified copy of the Appellate Division’s order along with a letter addressed to the custom commissioner.

The importer alleged that officials concerned initially refused to receive the documents.

When contacted, custom spokesperson Sharif Al Amin said, “It is their duty to receive letters and forward them to the appropriate officer.”

Delay increases cost

Port tariff calculations show that storage charges, including VAT and ancillary fees, reached Tk7, 29, 540 during that period. 

Moreover, the importer has incurred 53 days of shipping demurrage, amounting to nearly Tk570,000, at the contractual rate of $80 per day.

Combined, storage and shipping charges have crossed Tk12.9 lakh, excluding over 93% custom duty and VAT payable on the goods.

The shipment itself is valued at nearly Tk795,000.

Once legal expenses are added, the importer estimates that the total financial loss will exceed twice the value of the imported goods.

Yasir says the prolonged detention has disrupted production, delayed deliveries and created uncertainty for the factory’s 50 workers.

The newspaper sent a detailed questionnaire to Custom House Commissioner Mahbubur Rahman and Assistant Commissioner Towhida Islam through e-mail and WhatsApp message last week seeking explanations on the overall issues.   

As of yesterday night, custom did not respond to the queries.  

Custom’ spokesman Sharif told TBS, “An ambiguity in the Import Policy Order regarding rock salt has created confusion, and the matter has now reached the National Board of Revenue (NBR) and the Attorney General’s Office.”

“Once the ambiguity is resolved, the issue will be settled,” he said. 

However, he ignored responding to the court order. 

Mohammed Amirul Haque, president of the Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said, “If you protest, you will be finished. The system has made Custom officials so influential that if you speak out against them, they can make it impossible for you to do business in Bangladesh.”

He called for installing CCTV cameras in all government offices to improve transparency, curb corruption and reduce harassment.