Customs houses to remain open on a limited scale during Eid holidays

All customs houses and land customs stations across the country will remain open during the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr holidays to ensure uninterrupted import and export activities.

According to a directive issued by the National Board of Revenue (NBR), import and export operations will continue on government and weekly holidays from 17 March to 23 March, except on the day of Eid.

The directive, signed by Rezaul Karim, second secretary of customs policy at the NBR, asked the relevant authorities to take the necessary measures to keep import- and export-related activities running on a limited scale during the holiday period. The instruction stated that the decision was taken to maintain smooth and uninterrupted trade activities during the Eid-ul-Fitr holidays. Earlier in March, the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) requested the authorities to keep all customs stations - including Chattogram Custom House - as well as the concerned bank branches open during government and weekly holidays ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr.

In a letter, the apparel exporters’ body said the ready-made garment (RMG) sector is highly dependent on fashion cycles and strict delivery timelines. Failure to ship products within deadlines set by foreign buyers may lead to the cancellation of export orders.

Such cancellations could cause significant financial losses for entrepreneurs and result in the loss of valuable foreign currency earnings for the country, the organisation noted.

BGMEA also pointed out that, amid ongoing global economic uncertainties, uninterrupted support from ports, customs and banks is essential to sustain export trade.

In the letter, the association requested that from 17 March to 23 March - excluding the day of Eid - all customs stations in the country, along with relevant bank branches and the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), remain operational during government and weekly holidays to facilitate export activities.