Photo: Collected

CHATTOGRAM, May 21, 2026 (BSS) - Chattogram Customs House has halted the release of a 28 metric tonne rock salt consignment imported from Pakistan after the importer failed to produce a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Ministry of Industries.

The consignment, imported by Warda and Zubayer Agro Industries Limited has remained on hold for nearly two weeks at Chattogram port.

According to customs officials, the clearing and forwarding (C&F) agent, Tasmia Enterprise, submitted the bill of entry on May 4 for the release of a 20-foot container carrying 1,120 bags of rock salt. However, the shipment could not be cleared as the required NOC or availability certificate from the Ministry of Industries was not attached.

Assistant Commissioner Touhida Islam said the National Salt Policy-2022 makes it mandatory to obtain prior approval for sodium chloride imports, and compliance with the policy is essential for releasing such consignments. 

She added that stricter enforcement of import regulations has been in place since April 23.

The imported rock salt, valued at 6,440 US dollars, has already incurred customs-related duties and taxes amounting to 683,455 taka and 97 paisa, including customs duty, regulatory duty, supplementary duty, VAT, advance income tax and advance tax.

Rock salt is widely used in Bangladesh across industries such as food processing, spices, pickles, herbal medicine and cosmetics.

Importer Yasin Arafat said the company is registered with the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority and holds certification from the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution. 

He added that the required NOC application has already been submitted and steps are underway to obtain clearance for releasing the consignment.