Quality testing of imported bitumen made mandatory

The government has made the quality testing of imported bitumen mandatory to ensure product standards.

The commerce ministry issued a circular on Tuesday to this effect.

The testing has to be carried out at the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution, the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, or Eastern Refinery.

Till date, quality testing was not a prerequisite for bitumen imports before they were unloaded at the Chattogram port.

However, importers do provide test reports from countries the bitumen is imported from.

As per its weather condition, Bangladesh uses bitumen of a "60/70 grade".

AKM Manir Hossain Pathan, additional chief engineer (planning and maintenance) of the Roads and Highways Department (RHD), said the RHD and local government engineering department were the major users of bitumen in building roads and highways.

He said they do test imported bitumen at their own laboratories, the Buet and other related labs before using.

"If the bitumen does not meet specifications, we reject it," he said, adding that in most cases, no issues came up in the reports.

He, however, pointed out that the bitumen being adulterated by the users themselves was another issue.

According to Pathan, the bitumen of Eastern Refinery of Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation was a quality product, and there was no doubt about it.

But the entity was able to cater to a very small quantity of the demand, he said.

For this, the RHD, the local government engineering department, city corporations and other organisations have to depend on imports.

Currently, around 90 per cent of the annual demand of 5 lakh tonnes of bitumen used to build roads and highways is met through imports.

Recently, Bashundhara Group has set up the country's first dedicated bitumen plant at the cost of around $143.7 million and started commercial production in December 2020.

The plant can produce 9 lakh tonnes of bitumen a year.

The factory was established on a 65-acre plot at Pangaon in Keraniganj, and would produce around 2.75 lakh tonnes initially.

According to the data from the National Board of Revenue, more than 40 companies import bitumen from countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Iraq, and Sri Lanka.

During the July to April period of the current fiscal year, 42 companies imported 19,661 tonnes of bitumen, with around 80 per cent coming from the UAE. However, the country does not have any bitumen plant.

The value of the imported bitumen was shown to be around Tk 1,110 crore, brought under 346 consignments.

In the 2019-20 fiscal year, Bangladesh imported around 3.8 lakh tonnes of bitumen.

Mir Nasir Hossain, a bitumen importer and former president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry, said the mandatory testing means more time would be needed to unload consignments.

"I don't think the quality test at customs should be made mandatory because the project implementing agencies will test it again before use," he said, adding that it would be a hassle for importers.