Import and export activity through Chattogram Port slowed sharply in the first six months of the 2025–26 fiscal year, with total shipments falling by more than 113,000 units as exports recorded a steep decline.
Data from Chattogram Custom House show total cargo shipments, including commercial imports, bonded imports and exports, fell by about 8 per cent year on year to 1,337,489 units in July–December 2025, from 1,450,784 units in the same period of the previous fiscal year.
The biggest setback came from exports. Shipment numbers dropped by 118,399 units, or 10.71 per cent, to 986,942 during the six-month period, compared with 1,105,341 a year earlier. More than 80 per cent of exports handled by the port are ready-made garments, followed by jute goods, frozen food and handicrafts, making the sector particularly sensitive to changes in global apparel demand.
BGMEA Director Rakibul Alam Chowdhury said weaker overseas orders, global uncertainty and higher tariffs in major markets, including the United States, had weighed heavily on garment exports. He said more than one lakh export-related shipments had declined over the past six months, adding that the timing of a full recovery remained uncertain.
Import shipments showed a mixed trend. In the IM4 category, which covers imports cleared after payment of duty, shipments rose to 144,540 in July–December 2025 from 137,095 a year earlier. However, duty-free bonded imports under the IM7 category edged down to 206,007 from 208,348, limiting the overall impact of higher dutiable imports.
Monthly data highlight October as the weakest period, when shipments fell by 34,167 units, nearly 14 per cent lower than the same month a year earlier. December also saw a sharp contraction, with shipments dropping by more than 30,000 units year on year to 252,149.
Despite fewer shipments, the physical volume of imported goods increased. Total import volume rose 14.82 per cent year on year to about 49.53 million metric tons in July–December 2025. The dutiable value of imports climbed by about 9.9 per cent to Tk267,167.37 crore, from Tk243,091 crore a year earlier.
Customs revenue also grew but fell short of targets. Revenue collection rose 7.06 per cent year on year to Tk38,002.37 crore in the first half of the fiscal year, against a target of Tk46,360 crore, leaving a shortfall of Tk8,357.63 crore, or 18.03 per cent. In the same period of FY2024–25, revenue stood at Tk35,495.95 crore.
Sharif Mohammad Al Amin, Assistant Commissioner and spokesperson for Chattogram Customs, said imports of consumer goods typically increase ahead of Ramadan and were expected to rise further after the February elections. He added that Chattogram Customs remained central to achieving the national revenue target of Tk1.03 lakh crore for FY2025–26.
