Bangladeshi goods exports to India's northeast hit by closure of Tripura land port

Bangladeshi goods exports to India's northeast hit by closure of Tripura land port

International Desk :    |    ১০:২০ পিএম, ২০২৫-০৫-২১

Milon Uddin Laskar Silchar (Assam) May 21: Trade through key land ports including Akhaura Integrated Check Post (ICP) near Agartala in Tripura has been ordered to be stopped. Cross-border trade between India's northeast and Bangladesh has been severely affected since May 17. The impact was immediate. Hundreds of trucks carrying goods from Bangladesh to Tripura have been forced to turn back without obtaining movement permits. Officials at Akhaura ICP confirmed that there has been a reduction in the movement of goods vehicles. Since the ban came into effect, only essential goods like fish and limited quantities of cement have been allowed to enter. There has been a huge drop in the movement of Bangladeshi goods since the ban came into force. An official at Akhaura ICP told the media that regular imports of plastic items, PVC products, processed foods and fruit-based beverages from Bangladesh have completely stopped. The new restrictions have also alarmed Bangladeshi exporters, who fear the long-term economic impact of the ba

A Bangladeshi businessman told the media, "We used to export goods worth about 3 million Bangladeshi taka daily through Akhaura and most of these goods - juices, plastic products, furniture. Now it is banned." The Akhaura land port serves as an important commercial gateway for Bangladeshi exporters to Indian states like Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and parts of Assam. Bangladesh's exports through Akhaura reached 453 crore taka in the last fiscal year, which was 427 crore taka the previous year. This is a testament to the growing trade relevance of the port. RFL Plastics, one of the largest plastic manufacturers in Bangladesh, has been hit the hardest. RFL official Kamruzzaman Kamal said that their market in the northeastern region of India is now isolated. Shifting to the seaport will increase logistics costs and make trade impractical. The Tripura state government has taken quick steps to assess the situation. A high-level meeting was held at Akhaura ICP on Monday, chaired by Director of Industries and Commerce Dr. Shailesh Yadav, where officials were directed to strictly implement the new trade rules of DGFT. Debashis Nandi, Manager of Akhaura Land Port, assured the meeting that we are processing only exempted goods as per the government instructions.

Meanwhile, even trade in essential goods has been disrupted. On Wednesday, no trucks carrying fish crossed the border after Bangladeshi exporters failed to obtain the necessary permits. Estimates suggest that fish and dried fish worth $90,000 to $95,000 are exported to India through Akhaura every day. With trade losses mounting and frustration growing on both sides of the border, traders have called for urgent diplomatic intervention to find a middle ground that can sustain the vital economic corridor between Bangladesh and India’s northeast.