Benapole Customs House in Bangladesh has recorded a revenue shortfall of Taka 1,013 crore in the first six months of the 2025–26 fiscal year, customs officials and industry stakeholders have said, citing a combination of declining import volumes, trade restrictions and increased duty evasion.
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) had set a revenue target of Taka 8,370 crore for Benapole in FY ’26. Of this, the target for the July–December period was Taka 4,133 crore, but actual collections stood at Taka 3,120.5 crore, leaving a significant gap between expectations and performance.
Benapole is one of Bangladesh’s busiest land ports, handling a range of goods moving between Bangladesh and India. Daily traffic traditionally includes industrial raw materials, agricultural products and manufactured items, with ready-made garments (RMG) and textiles among notable categories moving through the port. Before recent restrictions, a substantial portion of yarn and other textile inputs destined for Bangladesh’s garment factories was transported via Benapole.
Business leaders said that a decline in import volumes, partly due to regulatory restrictions on certain categories of goods, had significantly reduced port activity. An importer and clearing agent representative said that weaker trade security following political changes in August 2024 had created opportunities for duty evasion. Another industry figure noted that many traders had reduced their use of Benapole due to inadequate facilities and prolonged inspections, contributing to lower revenue and trade throughput.
Officials from the Benapole Port Authority reported that daily import truck volumes, which typically ranged between 600 and 700, had fallen to around 250, affecting not only revenue but also associated labour and transport sectors. Despite the shortfall in the first half of the fiscal year, a customs official expressed hope that the full-year revenue target could still be met with continued enforcement and administrative measures.
The downturn reflects broader challenges facing the region’s cross-border trade environment, where restrictions and compliance pressures have disrupted traditional supply chains, including those for RMG and textile goods that form a significant part of bilateral commerce.
