Nationwide imports-exports halted amid NBR staff shutdown

Import and export activities across the country remain at a standstill as striking officials and employees of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) continue their “complete shutdown” demanding the resignation of NBR chairman and inclusive reforms in revenue sector.

The work stoppage, called by the NBR Reform Unity Council, has brought business to a near halt. Customs operations have been suspended nationwide, from the NBR headquarters in Dhaka to major gateways like Chattogram Port, Benapole and Sonamasjid land ports, and Dhaka Customs House.

For a second consecutive day, customs clearance of import-export consignments at Chattogram Customs House has been entirely stopped.

S M Saiful Alam, president of the C&F Agents Association, said hundreds of cargo trucks are stranded at the Benapole-Petrapole border points on both the Bangladesh and India sides. Similarly, at Satkhira’s Bhomra land port and India’s Ghojadanga, workers reported around 500 trucks stuck in limbo.

Chattogram Port Authority Secretary Omar Faruk confirmed that due to the shutdown, container ships are departing the port without export cargo. Currently, 17 container vessels are waiting at the port for loading.

Businesses warn that the disruption is choking supply chains, delaying deliveries, and risking severe financial losses. The shutdown underscores the deepening crisis in Bangladesh’s revenue administration, as calls grow for a negotiated resolution to prevent long-term economic fallout.