Sarees, lehengas, two-pieces, three-pieces, Panjabis, etc, are being imported from India, Pakistan through suspicious and false price declarations before Eid as demand soars.
The dutiable value declared at the import stage of these products to evade customs duties is much lower than the market price.
An investigation revealed that some businesses have imported high-quality/designer sarees, saying their value is just Tk60 per piece and gorgeous garments like lehengas were only Tk105to Tk120.
However, some of these items are being sold for more than Tk100,000 at shops.
A recent report, on March 10, ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr, from the Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission (BTTC) to the Home Ministry and the National Board of Revenue (NBR), made the revelation.
The Tariff Commission report also states that the legal imports are much less than the amount of Indian/Pakistani two-piece, three-piece, lehenga, jamdani and woven sarees sold in the local market.
Dr Moinul Khan, chairman of the Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission (BTTC), told Dhaka Tribune: “We have stated in the report what we had to say and recommend. Beyond that, I have nothing more to say.”
They recommended that the customs authorities conduct physical examinations of imported goods and fabrics to curb false declarations.
The report also recommended collecting taxes on imported fabrics and clothing under existing regulations.
Seeking anonymity, an owner of a clothing shop in Bashundhara City Shopping Mall, who imports clothes from India and Pakistan, told Dhaka Tribune: “Basically, it is possible to show lower prices when importing clothes from these two countries, India and Pakistan. Honestly, I don't understand how clothes are imported at such low prices.”
High demand
According to data, Bangladesh's annual demand for clothes is around 800 crore meters. A small portion of the demand is met by local handlooms, handicrafts and power looms.
The Tariff Commission says that the country generally imports clothes from India, Pakistan, China, Myanmar, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Thailand, Japan and other countries.
In the last two fiscal years (FY23 and FY24), sarees worth Tk13,000 crore and Tk13,635 crore, respectively, were imported.
Of this, in FY23, Tk282.61 crore and in FY24, Tk258.94 crore worth of sarees came from India, respectively.
In FY25 till December 9, 2025, sarees worth Tk7,930.85 crore were imported.
Of this, Tk106.67 crore worth of sarees came from India.
In addition, three-piece/lehenga worth Tk2,179.84 crore and Tk1,531.56 crore, respectively, were imported from India in FY23 and FY24.
Of this, Tk116.48 and Tk76.97 crore worth of garments were imported from India in FY23 and FY24.
In addition, three-pieces/lehengas worth Tk658.43 crore were imported till December 9 of FY25. Of this, Tk17.65 crore came from India.
Data also show that two- and three-piece sets and lehengas are mainly imported from neighbouring India. Their import volume has increased, but the average prices of these items show the amount is less than import prices.
BTTC noted that it found that some sarees and lehengas are selling for more than Tk1 lakh in the local market.
A huge volume of foreign clothing and fabrics is smuggled into Bangladesh, which is hurting the local industries, BTTC also said.
