Sherpa Power Engineering Ltd has urged the government to remove bureaucratic hurdles hampering the import of modern irrigation machinery, including the Center Pivot Irrigation (CPI) system, essential for agricultural development.
At a press conference held at Dhaka Reporters Unity on Saturday, Managing Director of Sherpa Power Engineering Ltd, Md Abu Taher said that customs officials with little knowledge of agricultural machinery were harassing importers.
He said their CPI equipment has been stuck at Chittagong port due to customs treating its parts as separate commercial items, resulting in excessive duties.
Taher explained that the CPI system, imported from Austria under a Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) project, must be considered as a complete unit. Misclassification has increased the payable duty from Tk1.2 million to Tk4.2 million, with Sherpa incurring a loss of Tk400,000 per month.
He also called on customs to consult BADC or Buet before making such technical decisions.
The CPI project, aimed at using surface water for irrigation in Pabna, Natore, and Sirajganj, may be jeopardized if the equipment remains stuck.
