Oranges fetched Tk 10.54 a kg at Chattogram Customs. At a public auction, a shipment of 52,200 kg of oranges drew a bid of Tk 5 lakh 50 thousand. The auction was held on Monday at the auction branch of Chattogram Customs.

The highest bid came from M/s Moinuddin Jabed Traders, a firm on Ashraf Ali Road in the city. The shipment's reserve price had been set at Tk 47 lakh 24 thousand 652.

On the same day, a ginger shipment worth Tk 30 lakh 4 thousand 436 drew a bid of Tk 5 lakh 65 thousand. The highest bid for the single container of 22,312 kg of ginger came from Madina Enterprise, a firm in the city's AK Khan Gate area, putting the top price at Tk 25.32 a kg.

Customs sources said oranges, ginger and some juice were put up for auction as perishable goods because the importers did not clear them. A shipment of 3,422 litres of juice worth Tk 72 lakh 47 thousand 876 drew a top bid of Tk 1 lakh 20 thousand, offered by Rafiq and Brothers of Station Road in the city. The juice comprised:

• 292 litres of pineapple juice (1-litre bottles)
• 842 litres of mango juice (250 ml bottles)
• 592 litres of apple juice (1-litre bottles)
• 422 litres of strawberry and banana juice (250 ml bottles)
• 698 litres of guava juice (250 ml bottles)
• 576 litres of mango juice (1-litre bottles)

Mohammad Saidul Islam, deputy commissioner of Chattogram Custom House, said some perishable goods were put up for auction to reduce congestion at the port because the importers had not cleared them according to the rules. These included shipments of oranges, fruit juice and ginger. Bidders took part in the auction on Monday. There is a committee to settle auctions, and further steps will be taken under customs rules, he said.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.