A number of onion-laden trucks stuck on the Indian side started entering Bangladesh on Saturday after India allowed those with requisite customs clearance till September 14.

Trucks carrying onion were crossed Bangladesh border through Bhomra land port in Satkhira and Sonamasjid land port in Chapainawabganj and Hili Land Port (HLP) in Dinajpur.

Some 25 to 30 trucks carrying onion came through Bhomra land port on the first day, sur Satkhira Correspondent reports citing the Indian clearing & forwarding (C&F) sources.

On September 14, India banned export of its onion. Fours day later, it said the government would allow to export with requisite customs clearance until September 14.

However, traders are worried as it takes five to six days to cross the West Bengal from Nasik in Maharashtra to reach Bhomra port in Satkhira.

On top of that, more than 200 trucks have been stuck in Indian Ghojadanga port for the last five days waiting to cross the border. Traders are worried that half of the onion may rot in 10 to 11 days.

Mostafizur Rahman Nasim, General Secretary of Bhomra C&F Association, said all vehicles with complete paperwork were released on Saturday.

About 30 trucks carrying onion entered through Bhomra port on the first day, he added.

A truck usually carries some 22 to 25 tonnes of onion, said Md Mahasin, superintendent of Bhomra Land Port Customs.

In Chapainawabganj, more than 200 onion laden-trucks were stranded on the India land port of Mahdipur land port opposite to Sonamasjid land port for more than a week, our Correspondent adds.

Seven trucks have entered Bangladesh on Saturday so far.

Meanwhile, with no onion from India, the local variety of onion is being sold at Tk 55-60 per kilogram at local markets in Chapainawabganj.  

Mesbaul Haque Mesbah, former General Secretary of Sonamasjid C&F Agents Association, onion laden in 200-trucks remained stranded at Mahdipur land port in India.

Traders said talks were underway on the release of onion with LCs (letter of credits) opened by September 14.

“If discussion is fruitful, the rest of stranded trucks will enter within a day or two,” said Rafiqul Islam, president of the port’s Importers-Exporters Association.

In Dinajpur, Onion-laden trucks stranded on the Indian side opposite to Hili Land Port (HLP) in Hakimpur upazila of Dinajpur started entering, reports BSS.

“The stranded onion-laden trucks inside India started entering Bangladesh through HLP at 315 pm today,” President of Hili Land Port Import-Export Group and Hakimpur upazila parishad Chairman Harun Ar Rashid told BSS.

“The progress was achieved following our frantic communications with our Indian counterparts,” Harun said, adding that some 300 onion-laden trucks with 6,000 tonnes of the commodity have been stranded inside India for the last five to seven days.

On the first day, some 15 to 20 trucks carrying 300 to 400 tonnes of onion may enter Bangladesh from India through HLP by 630 pm today while the other stranded trucks with onions might enter in the next couple of days.

“We fear a huge loss as a portion of our imported onion might have already perished for staying in the loaded trucks covered with thick layer of tarpaulin sheets amid hot and humid weather for several days,” Harun said.

He said Bangladeshi importers opened letter of credits (LCs) by September 13 last to import about 10,000 tonnes of onions from India at rates between 250 to 300 US dollars per tonne through HLP in Dinajpur district alone.

“Some three hundred Indian trucks loaded with onions are reaming stranded inside India opposite to HLP. The onion might perish forcing the importers and local traders to count huge losses,” he said.

Currently, hectic arrangements are being made to bring at least those onions for which LCs have been opened through different commercial banks to import at rates between 250 to 300 US dollars per tonne.

President of the Customs Clearing and Forwarding Agents’ Association (CC&FAA) at HLP Kamal Hossain Raj said onion price would remain steady in local markets following resumption of import of the commodity from neighbouring India.

“We have to learn lessons from the unexpected incident of stopping onion export by India to Bangladesh without prior notice,” he said, suggesting meeting onion demand by increasing production and importing the same annually from substitute global markets.

Talking to BSS, General Secretary of the CC&FAA at HLP Abdur Rahman Litan feared that huge quantities of stranded onions might have already perished to cause huge losses to local importers.