Bangladesh waives cargo handling charge for onion imports amid supply crisis

The government has decided to waive cargo handling charges on onion imports on the flights of flag carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines.

For faster shipment, the essential cooking ingredient is being airlifted from several countries to cool down the market.

Biman charges Tk 18 per kg on perishable goods for the cargo handling services.

The civil aviation and tourism ministry decided to waive the charges to keep onion prices stable, according to a notice issued on Wednesday.

"We’ve decided to waive the cargo handling charge on onion imports for the sake of public interest,” Civil Aviation and Tourism Secretary Mohibul Haque told bdnews24.com.

The decision will remain effective as long as onion is shipped through airways, he added.

Onion prices have continued to surge since Sept 29 when India banned exports to control domestic prices, prompting the government to take several measures to tame the spiralling price.

Prices rose to Tk 180 a kg, which is a Tk 30 jump in two days, after Cyclone Bulbul that struck the coastline on Nov 9 squeezed supplies. The prices continued to rise and hovered around Tk 250, a record in Bangladesh, over the weekend.

To deal with the situation, the government decided to import onions from Egypt, Turkey and China. It also decided to import onion through airway for faster shipments.