Ctg customs to auction off unclaimed food items today

Chittagong customs authorities will auction off about 247 tonnes of apple, fish and other food items today as no importer showed up in time to receive the goods.

The auction for the items, which were imported in 10 containers through the Chittagong port in July, will be held at the customs auction hall at 2pm. Of the containers, six contain 149 tonnes of fresh apple imported from China in mid-July.

One container with 13.43 tonnes of dry fish came from Pakistan, two containers of 55.22 tonnes of frozen hilsa fish were imported from Myanmar while one container contains 28 tonnes of fresh ginger.

Md Ahsan Ullah, assistant commissioner for auction, said the food items are in good condition and bidders can inspect the items from 10am to 12pm today.

Importers need to receive goods within 30 days of their unloading from ships at the port jetty. Importers get notices if they fail to receive the goods within the stipulated time.

If they do not take delivery of the cargoes within 15 days of the notices, the customs authorities can auction off the goods.

But the customs authorities cannot hold auctions regularly mainly because of a shortage of workforce. As a result, 6,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of containers imported between 2013 and August this year have piled up at the port yards.

The customs department has recently undertaken a special programme to expedite auctions as the piled-up containers are hampering the activities of the port.