In a significant move likely to disrupt trade with Bangladesh, India has imposed port restrictions on key consumer goods, including ready-made garments, from entering via northeastern land transit points. The new rules mandate that Bangladeshi garments can now only enter through Kolkata and Nhava Sheva seaports. However, the government clarified that the port curbs would not apply to goods from Bangladesh transiting through India for Nepal or Bhutan.
This decision is widely seen as retaliation after Dhaka recently blocked Indian yarn imports through its land ports. India has now barred several products such as plastics, furniture, processed foods, fruit-flavored drinks, cotton, and yarn waste from entering through states like Assam, Tripura, Mizoram, and West Bengal’s border points. Exceptions include fish, LPG, edible oil, and crushed stones.
Bangladesh is one of the largest exporters of garments globally, and around 93% of its $700 million exports to India previously entered via northeast land ports. These new measures could significantly impact Bangladeshi exporters and Indian businesses relying on those goods. The move marks a serious escalation in cross-border trade tensions between the two neighbors.