The cabinet committee on economic affairs yesterday approved the import policy for 2015-18, aiming to ease import processes, make them more business-friendly and bring harmony with the globalisation and free-market economy.
Under the new import policy, the government will not allow importers to import food stuff including rice and wheat without the clearance certificate from Bangladesh customs authority.
The traders who import fruits and fish from other SAARC nations will also need to present radiation-free certificate in favour of their goods. The policy demands food safety, particularly imported milk and other food items for children and adults.
These compulsory provisions have been included in the country’s new import policy. The three-year policy will be placed at the cabinet committee on economic affairs meeting this week for approval, said a source.
The new policy restricted import of 50 items including shrimp, poppy seed, furnace oil, industrial sugar, artificial soybean oil, fishing net, polyethylene bag, three-wheelers, micro-bus, mini-bus, jeep and equipment of motorcycle.
An entrepreneur can import capital machinery of $200,000 a year while one can procure rice, pulse, onion, ginger, maize, soybean and fish from Myanmar of $50,000 annually and other items of $30,000.
The amount can be increased to $2m when the government will import rice from Myanmar. The policy will allow import of boulders through both land and river routes. Earlier, boulders were imported only through river route.
Software has been included as the new import product and it can be imported with the clearance of the ministry and recommendation of the trade body concerned.
No-objection certificates from the Information Ministry will be required for importing foreign films. There is no such provision in the existing policy.
