Sonamasjid Land Port’s revenue collection fell 9.87 per cent year-on-year to Tk819.69 crore in FY 2025-2026, as a sharp slowdown in imports reduced customs earnings and left the port Tk282.21 crore, or 25.61 per cent, below its annual target.
The Sonamasjid Land Port Customs Office collected Tk819.69 crore in FY 2025-2026, compared with Tk909.46 crore in FY 2024-2025, a decline of Tk89.77 crore. Against the National Board of Revenue (NBR) target of Tk1,101.90 crore, the port recorded a deficit of Tk282.21 crore.
The revenue decline followed a fall in import activity through the port, where the range of imported products narrowed significantly during the year.
Traders and port officials said lower imports of fruits and other commercial products reduced cargo movement and weakened customs revenue, while the port became increasingly dependent on stone imports.
Around 80 per cent of goods currently entering through Sonamasjid Land Port are stones, said Sonamasjid Land Port operator Panama Port Link Limited Manager Mainul Islam.
He said fruit imports, which previously contributed significantly to the port’s trade volume, had almost stopped.
The decline in product diversity has affected revenue because customs earnings depend directly on the volume and type of imported goods cleared through the port.
Mobinul Islam, president of the Sonamasjid Land Port C&F Agents Association, said falling imports were the main reason behind the revenue shortfall. He said many traders were using alternative land ports as importing through Sonamasjid had become more expensive compared with other routes.
Ruhul Amin, general secretary of the association, said administrative difficulties had also affected trade activity. He said the absence of a full-fledged customs office at Sonamasjid forces traders to travel to Rajshahi for documentation, increasing both time and operating costs.
The revenue weakness was visible throughout FY 2025-2026, with the port missing its monthly targets in 10 of the 12 months.
The largest monthly shortfall came in May 2026, when revenue collection was 59.4 per cent below target. The port collected Tk39.65 crore against the target of Tk97.62 crore, creating a deficit of Tk57.98 crore.
The biggest absolute monthly gap occurred in March 2026, when collection stood at Tk63.19 crore against the target of Tk114.91 crore, leaving a shortfall of Tk51.72 crore, or 45 per cent below target.
Other major shortfalls included December 2025, when revenue collection was Tk79.07 crore against a target of Tk114.76 crore, a deficit of Tk35.69 crore, or 31.1 per cent, and November 2025, when collection fell 28.1 per cent below target, with Tk74.29 crore collected against Tk103.37 crore, leaving a deficit of Tk29.07 crore.
The port almost met its targets only in April and June 2026. April collection stood at Tk68.66 crore, missing the target by only Tk3,387, while June collection reached Tk70.13 crore, falling short by just Tk471. But those gains were insufficient to recover the deficits accumulated during the year.
Assistant Commissioner of Sonamasjid Land Port Customs Md Sabbir Ahmed said the suspension of imports of fruits, imitation fabrics and other commercial products contributed significantly to the revenue decline.
He said customs authorities would hold discussions with traders to restore import activity and improve revenue performance.
