About 1% of the mentioned products exported from Bangladesh to India go by sea, while the rest are transported via land ports. Consequently, this restriction has essentially shut down the easier route for exporting these products to India.
India has once again imposed restrictions on the import of goods from Bangladesh. Under these restrictions, Indian traders will no longer be able to import four types of jute products from Bangladesh through land ports. These products can only be imported through India’s Nava Sheva Port in Mumbai. The country’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry issued a notification to this effect today, Monday.
According to the notification, the four Bangladeshi products facing import restrictions are: Jute and jute-based fabric, Jute rope or cord, Rope or cord made from jute-based products, and Jute sacks or bags.
The notification states that the decision has been implemented immediately.
As a result of this new restriction, to export these products to India, they must now be sent by sea via Nava Sheva Port in Mumbai. According to sources, only about 1% of the mentioned products exported from Bangladesh to India go by sea, while the rest are transported via land ports. Consequently, this restriction has essentially shut down the easier route for exporting these products to India.
A farmer tying jute after drying it in the sun. ‘Sridharpur village, Srinagar, Munshiganj. 22 August. Photo: Dipu Malakar
When asked, Tapas Pramanik, president of the Bangladesh Jute Spinners Association (BJSA), told Prothom Alo, “It’s like one after another the lights are going out. India is taking every step that turns out negative for Bangladesh. We have told the government before, and will say again, that it should take the initiative for bilateral discussions on these restrictions.” When asked whether the Indian government would agree to such talks, he said, “If Trump can sit with Putin, then why can’t India sit with Bangladesh?” He also suggested that Bangladeshi businesses should look for alternative markets for exporting jute products.
Earlier, on 27 June, in another notification, the DGFT imposed restrictions on importing several types of goods from Bangladesh through land ports. These included raw jute, jute rolls, jute yarn, and special types of fabric. The four new restricted products have now been added to that list.
In recent months, India has imposed several rounds of non-tariff restrictions on imports from Bangladesh. Earlier, on 17 May, it restricted imports through land ports of Indian-made garments, processed food, plastic, wooden furniture, yarn and yarn byproducts, fruits and fruit-flavored drinks, soft drinks, etc. Before that, on 9 April, India withdrew the facility of using Kolkata Airport for exporting Bangladeshi goods to various countries around the world.
According to the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) of Bangladesh, in the 2023–24 fiscal year, Bangladesh exported a total of USD 1.57 billion worth of goods to India, which accounted for 3.75% of Bangladesh’s total export earnings. On the other hand, Bangladesh imported USD 9 billion worth of goods from India, the majority of which were raw materials and intermediate goods for industries. Bangladesh is also a major market for Indian consumer goods.
