Imported Malta, which costs around Tk87 per kilogram at the point of entry, is currently selling for as much as Tk520 per kilogram in Chattogram’s retail markets. The sharp difference has drawn attention to the layers of taxes, transport costs, supply constraints and market margins that accumulate between import and retail sale.

A large share of the yellow-coloured Malta available in Bangladesh is imported from South Africa and Egypt. Importers are currently paying up to around 70 US cents per kilogram for the fruit, equivalent to roughly Tk87. Yet consumers in Chattogram are paying between Tk480 and Tk520 per kilogram.

An analysis of the supply chain from import to retail shows that a substantial portion of the increase occurs before the fruit even reaches the domestic wholesale market. The total tax burden on fresh oranges and Malta-type fruits is currently 121.78 per cent. Transport, port charges and other expenses are then added. More recently, reduced supply and increased demand amid a rise in dengue cases have contributed to another sharp increase in wholesale and retail prices.

Taxes Add About Tk107 to Every Kilogram

According to Bangladesh Customs, fresh oranges and Malta-type fruits face a combined tax burden of 121.78 per cent. This includes customs duty, regulatory duty, supplementary duty, value-added tax and advance income tax.

Data from Chattogram Customs House show that the average import value of Malta is currently around Tk87 per kilogram. Taxes and duties add approximately Tk107 to that amount. As a result, the cost rises to around Tk193-194 per kilogram by the time the fruit is cleared from the port.

Malta is transported in refrigerated containers. Traders say another Tk10-15 per kilogram is added through transportation from the port to warehouses, container-related expenses and other associated costs. On that direct calculation, the cost rises to roughly Tk204-209 per kilogram.

Importers, however, argue that this does not represent their full cost. Malta is perishable, meaning some fruit can be damaged or lost during handling and transportation. Once such losses, port expenses, container charges and other costs are included, importers estimate their actual cost at around Tk230-240 per kilogram.

Malta Imports Have Nearly Halved

The volume of Malta imported into Bangladesh has declined steadily since taxes on imported fruit were increased.

In the 2021-22 financial year, Bangladesh imported 294,000 tonnes of Malta. The figure fell to 220,000 tonnes in 2022-23 after the higher tax burden came into effect. Imports declined further to 173,000 tonnes in 2023-24, followed by 168,000 tonnes in 2024-25 and 153,000 tonnes in 2025-26.

That means imports have fallen by almost half over four years.

The downward trend has continued into the current financial year. Only around 21,000 tonnes were imported during the first three months or so of the year.

Supply Shortage Pushes Up Wholesale Prices

Once cleared from the port, Malta is sent to wholesale markets in Chattogram and Dhaka. From importers, the fruit passes to wholesalers and then to retailers. Prices can change at every stage depending on supply, demand and associated business costs.

Traders at Chattogram’s Falmandi said Malta was selling wholesale at around Tk220-230 per kilogram roughly three weeks ago. Prices then rose rapidly. At one point, a 15-kilogram carton was selling for Tk6,000 to Tk7,500, equivalent to approximately Tk400-500 per kilogram at the wholesale level.

By Wednesday, Malta was selling for Tk480-520 per kilogram at several retail markets in Chattogram.

Fruit trader Md Babul of Railway Men’s Super Market said many importers had incurred losses between June and August, which contributed to a subsequent decline in imports. When supply fell below demand in September, prices rose quickly.

He said new consignments had since started arriving and prices were beginning to ease. If supplies increase further, retail prices could fall again in the coming week.

Mohammad Qutub Uddin, proprietor of Malta importer HR Corporation, said taxes, port charges and container transportation costs had all increased. At the same time, he claimed that retailers in some cases were charging as much as Tk100 more per kilogram than wholesale or importer-level prices.

Fruit Tax Burden Has Risen Over Several Years

Imported fruit has not always faced such a high tax burden in Bangladesh. In the 2021-22 financial year, the combined tax burden on Malta and several other imported fruits was around 89 per cent.

In May 2022, amid a foreign exchange shortage, the government imposed a 20 per cent regulatory duty on a range of products, including fruit, as part of measures to discourage imports.

The tax burden increased further in subsequent years. At one point during the 2024-25 financial year, it reached 136.20 per cent before being reduced to some extent. The current combined tax burden on several imported fruits, including Malta, oranges, apples and grapes, stands at 121.78 per cent.

This means the price of Malta can more than double before it reaches the domestic market, even when there has been no corresponding increase in its overseas price.

Dengue Adds to Demand Pressure

The latest price surge has coincided with a rise in dengue cases in Bangladesh. According to the Directorate General of Health Services, 79,620 people had been admitted to hospital with dengue by 30 September this year, while 245 people had died. Both cases and deaths increased sharply during September.

Fruit traders say demand for Malta and oranges tends to rise among families caring for people suffering from fever and dengue. When supply is already limited, such additional demand can put further pressure on prices.

For families buying fruit for sick relatives, Malta has therefore become considerably more expensive at a time when household demand has increased. The fruit enters the country at an average import value of around Tk87 per kilogram, but the government collects approximately Tk107 in taxes and duties on that amount. Transport, handling, business costs and margins are then added at different stages of the supply chain.

The result is a striking gap between the import value and the price paid by consumers, with Malta reaching as high as Tk520 per kilogram in Chattogram’s retail markets.

The Directorate of National Consumers’ Right Protection has also taken action over the market situation. Mohammad Foyez Ullah, deputy director of its Chattogram office, said the issue had come to their attention and that market drives had already been conducted. Three businesses at Falmandi were fined a combined Tk13,000 on Wednesday, he said, adding that such enforcement activities would continue.