Bangladesh slashes duties on vegetable imports

Dhaka, Sep 6 (IANS) Bangladesh's tax collection body, the National Board of Revenue, has reduced taxes on imports of onion and potato to rein in soaring prices of essential kitchen items.The board has waived the 5 per cent regulatory duty on onion imports and reduced customs duty on potato imports from 25 per cent to 15 per cent, the tax authority said in a statement on Thursday, Xinhua news agency reported.

Apart from this, the board has reduced tariffs on pesticide imports from 25 per cent to 5 per cent to increase the supply of crop protection chemicals.

The tax authority said the reduction will be active until November 30, 2024.

The decision came amid pleas from relevant stakeholders, taking into account the impact of unprecedented ongoing flooding and supply chain disruptions caused by recent political chaos.According to official statistics, inflation in Bangladesh accelerated to 11.66 per cent in July, the highest in 13 years, mainly driven by higher food prices.