As per Indian estimates, around 93% of Bangladesh’s ready-made garment exports to India pass through land ports.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
Bangladesh will no longer be allowed to use Indian land ports to export ready-made garments to India. A notification from the Directorate General of Foreign Trade issued in this regard on Saturday will come into immediate effect, officials here said.
The same notification has also ordered that specified commodities from Bangladesh will be prevented from entering India through the land ports of Tripura, Assam, Meghalaya and Mizoram.
“Bangladesh has recently imposed port restrictions on the import of Indian yarn via land ports, allowing our yarn exports only via sea ports. It has been decided to reciprocate this measure by imposing port restrictions on imports from Bangladesh of ready-made garments of all categories across all land ports – LCS (Land Customs Stations) and ICP (Integrated Check Posts),” said a senior official, who said that in recent months India has noticed aggressive inspection of Indian trucks on the Bangladeshi side.
From now, ready-made garments from Bangladesh will be allowed to enter India only through the sea ports of Kolkata and Nhava Sheva (Mumbai) where the cargo shipments will be subjected to “mandated inspections”, the official said.
On April 13, Bangladesh stopped Indian yarn exports through land ports. Bangladesh has also stopped from April 15 Indian rice exports via Hili and Benapole ICPs of West Bengal.
List of items
“India has decided to impose port restrictions across all LCSs and ICPs in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram on specified Bangladesh exports to India, targeting those commodities that can be locally manufactured,” said the official explaining the second part of the notification.
The specified items under this order will include ready-made garments, plastic, wooden furniture, juices, carbonated drinks, fruit-flavoured drinks, bakery, confectionery, cotton yarn, and dyes.
The Hindu has learnt that the list of specified items will be reviewed from time to time. This order on specified items will also be implemented through the LCSs of Fulbari and Changrabandha located on northern part of West Bengal.
The official said that Bangladesh, which is a major global producer of textile items, has been “cherry-picking” on trade issues and that India did not want it to continue doing so.
According to Indian estimates, at least 93% of Bangladesh’s ready-made garment exports to India pass through the land ports.
Officials said that considerable thinking had taken place about these economic and commercial measures and that the Chief Ministers of the northeastern States concerned and West Bengal officials have already been informed about the decision. It is understood that the restrictions imposed on specified items on all LCS and ICP in the northeast will help the local manufacturing sector in the region.
During the tenure of Sheikh Hasina from 2009 to 2024, Bangladesh and India had invested in improving the land ports as these locations are crucial for enhancing bilateral trade ties. In November 2024, India and the interim government of Bangladesh had started discussion on operationalising some of the land ports round-the-clock. However, sources here indicated that the interim government’s recent actions in the political domain, especially the banning of the Awami League, have indicated that it is not willing to create an inclusive environment in Bangladesh.
The Hindu was told that the steps were being taken to “send a message” to Bangladesh’s interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, who in his recent visit to China had described the northeastern states of India as “land-locked”. “The eastern part of India, known as the Seven Sisters, is landlocked. They have no access to the ocean. We are the only guardians of the ocean in this region. This opens up huge possibilities,” Mr. Yunus had said, calling upon the Chinese manufacturing sector to access northeastern India through Bangladesh.
The remark was criticised by many including Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Earlier this month, Mr. Yunus in a meeting with Nepal’s Deputy Speaker reiterated his vision of regional development encompassing the northeastern region of India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh.
Published – May 17, 2025 10:17 pm IST
Source: https://www.thehindu.com/business/india-orders-land-ports-closure-for-ready-made-garments-from-bangladesh/article69588320.ece
