A consignment of 47.5 tonnes of imported dates fetched Tk 1.34 crore in the second round of an online auction conducted by Chattogram Custom House on 11 January, customs officials said.
The latest bid was higher than in the first round, raising the possibility that the consignment may be sold after repeated failed attempts, officials added.
According to Chattogram Custom House, the auctioned lot included 15 tonnes of Ajwa and Majdool dates and 32.5 tonnes of Sugai, Safawi, Mashruk, Sukkari and Lubana varieties imported from Saudi Arabia. The dates were stored in two containers and auctioned as a single lot. The reserve price for the second online auction was set at Tk 2.75 crore.
Chattogram Custom House Assistant Commissioner of the auction branch Russell Ahmed said bids in the second round reached Tk 1.34 crore, compared with around Tk 1.2 crore in the first online auction.
As the bid price increased in the second round, there is a chance the consignment may be sold this time, he said. Customs officials did not disclose the identity of the highest bidder.
The dates were first offered through an online auction on 15 December, but no bidder met the required conditions. Before that, the consignment had been put up twice in physical auctions, which also failed to attract bids at the expected price.
Sources at Chattogram Custom House said the dates were imported by SSA Corporation, a firm based at Salam Building on Bridgeghat Road in the city’s Firingi Bazar area. Customs authorities moved to auction the goods after the importer failed to clear the consignment within the stipulated time.
In the first online auction, the reserve price had been fixed at Tk 3.48 crore. For the second round, customs reduced the base price to Tk 2.75 crore to draw bidder interest.
Customs officials said three companies participated in the 15 December online auction, but bids failed to reach 60 per cent of the reserve price, prompting the second auction.
Under customs regulations, importers must clear goods within 30 days of arrival at the port yard. If the goods remain uncleared, customs issues a notice, and if there is no response within 15 days, the consignment becomes eligible for auction. Goods seized for false declarations are auctioned under the same provisions. Officials acknowledged that the requirement to complete auctions within 45 days is not always fully enforced in practice.
