The government's emergency food aid initiative for Kuwait has faced a major setback, with 20 metric tonnes of premium seafood procured for shipment now set to be auctioned after the planned delivery failed to materialise, according to a commerce ministry notification.
The seafood, originally intended as emergency food aid under government directives, has remained in cold storage at the processing plant of Trust Sea Food Industries Ltd in Khulna's Batiaghata due to complications over flight arrangements by the Kuwaiti authorities.
The stranded stock includes 10 metric tonnes of golda shrimp, five tonnes of bagda shrimp, and five tonnes of pomfret, the notification issued on August 18 mentioned.
The failure to ship the seafood has effectively left the government with no option but to dispose of the stock through an auction, raising questions over the planning and execution of the emergency aid initiative.
The Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) has invited bids, imposing strict conditions on prospective buyers.
Bidders must purchase at least 500 kilograms of each type of seafood and submit a refundable security deposit of Tk 15,000 for that quantity.
The deposit will increase proportionately with the quantity, reaching Tk 30,000 for a 1,000-kg bid.
Separate bids and security deposits are required for each type of seafood.
The auction terms also put considerable pressure on successful bidders, requiring them to pay the full amount within three days and collect the stock at their own expense within another three days.
The development highlights the complications surrounding the government's attempt to deliver emergency food assistance as seafood procured for overseas delivery has instead been left in storage and put up for local auction.
The consignment was bought on an emergency basis for the diplomatic gift initiative.
But the export process ran into various complications, according to TCB's own admission in an auction notice issued on August 18, leaving officials with no option but to offload the goods domestically.
It was only after a directive from the Ministry of Commerce dated August 16 that TCB moved to auction the stranded stock, with more than a week after the notice's own reference date suggesting the problem was first flagged internally.
Under the auction terms, bidders must submit tenders by 12:30pm on August 25 at TCB's offices in Dhaka, Khulna or Chattogram, with a minimum lot size of 500 kilograms and refundable earnest money of at least Tk 15,000.
Sample inspection was scheduled for just two days - August 23 and 24.
Neither the notice nor TCB officials offered any explanation of what specifically went wrong with the export process.
Nor did they disclose the cost incurred in procuring the consignment in the first place - details that would normally be expected for a purchase made under emergency provisions and directed by the highest office in the government.
The winning bidders will additionally have to pay VAT, supplementary duty, and income tax, meaning the exchequer recovers only a fraction of what was likely spent on the original emergency procurement, processing, and prolonged storage.
TCB also reserved the right to cancel the auction altogether at its discretion, a clause that leaves the entire disposal process without firm accountability even at this final stage.
The TCB will reject bids submitted without the required security deposit and also reserved the right to cancel the entire auction process at any stage citing unavoidable circumstances.
When contacted, TCB Spokesperson and Deputy Director Md Shahadot Hossin said it was originally scheduled to be sent to Kuwait on behalf of the prime minister, but due to flight complications, the shipment could not be dispatched.
Consequently, the item would now be sold at auction, he said.
