350 sacks of lentils from Myanmar reach Teknaf

C T Online Desk: A trawler carrying 350 sacks of lentils from Myanmar’s Rakhine State docked at the jetty of Teknaf land port after a month-long halt.

Syed Mohammad Anwar Hossain, the manager of United Land Port Limited, which operates Teknaf land port, confirmed the information.

On Sunday evening, a trawler loaded with 350 sacks of lentils set out from Maungdaw Township, Myanmar, for local trader Abdus Shukkur and reached the Teknaf jetty.

The unloading process began Monday morning after submitting the Import General Manifest (IGM). Once unloaded, the goods will be distributed across the country. Notably, 1,560 sacks of lentils were imported through the port in the previous month.

According to Hossain, the ongoing conflict in Myanmar’s Rakhine State has significantly impacted bilateral trade. Import-export activities at the Teknaf land port have come to a near standstill, while trade in the border areas has suffered a severe downturn.

Hossain expressed optimism that trade operations at Teknaf land port would return to normal levels once the situation in Myanmar stabilizes.

Meanwhile, importer Ullah noted the challenges faced by local businesses, saying: “A significant amount of our goods are stuck in Myanmar. Our business operations are completely halted. We hope that the situation in Myanmar will stabilize soon, and import-export activities at Teknaf land port will return to normal.”

The last cargo vessel from Myanmar arrived at Teknaf land port on December 3. Since December 8, when Maungdaw Township in Rakhine State fell under the control of the Arakan Army, no cargo vessels have reached the port.