New Delhi, May 17 — India has imposed curbs on the entry of Bangladeshi exports through its northeastern land ports in a move that follows controversial remarks by Bangladesh’s interim chief advisor, Muhammad Yunus, during his recent speech in China.
The new restrictions block access through key land routes in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram, and West Bengal’s Fulbari and Changrabandha, redirecting Bangladeshi exports — including ready-made garments (RMG), plastics, processed foods, and beverages — to seaports like Kolkata and Nhava Sheva in Maharashtra.
The decision comes in response to Yunus’ reference to India’s northeastern region as a “landlocked area with no access to the ocean,” a statement Indian officials viewed as an affront to the region’s strategic connectivity and economic potential.
“Bangladesh cannot assume market access without reciprocity,” an Indian official told ANI. “For years, India extended concessions without equal returns. This decision restores balance.”
Nearly 93 percent of Bangladeshi exports to India, including garments worth an estimated $740 million annually, previously moved through these land corridors. The rerouting is expected to significantly raise logistics costs for Dhaka’s exporters, potentially straining its vital RMG sector.
Indian authorities defended the move as a corrective trade measure, citing Bangladesh’s own restrictive practices. “While we offer unrestricted access to Bangladeshi goods in the Northeast, Indian exports face high transit charges and port restrictions,” a source noted. “They charge Indian goods 1.8 taka per tonne per kilometre — more than twice the domestic rate.”
Sources added that Bangladesh’s refusal to allow seamless access for Indian cargo into the Northeast, combined with steep transport fees, has undermined industrial growth in the region.
The policy shift is expected to disrupt Bangladesh’s export routes while offering Indian manufacturers a potential edge in Northeast markets.
