Mugdha Das

Trade tensions rise as India bans Bangladeshi goods’ import

Digital Desk: Bilateral trade between India and Bangladesh has been thrown into uncertainty following India’s recent decision to ban the import of several Bangladeshi products, including ready-made garments, through its land ports.

The move has left hundreds of Bangladeshi cargo trucks stranded at key border crossings and disrupted the business of exporters who rely on land transit to reach Indian markets.

Trucks loaded with goods are being turned back, while exporters scramble to find alternative routes by air or sea, both significantly more expensive and time-consuming.

Bangladeshi traders have called on the Indian government to relax the ban on goods already contracted under existing agreements.

Among those affected is BSP Food Products, a company based in Chattogram, which has been exporting food items to India’s Northeast states for over 18 months.

The company, which built its business around the land route trade, now faces serious operational and financial uncertainty.

The current impasse has its roots in political developments from August 5, 2024, when a shift in Bangladesh’s domestic political landscape led to escalating tensions with India.

Shortly after, Bangladesh imposed a ban on Indian yarn imports via land ports, following India’s cancellation of a transshipment facility for Bangladeshi exports.