By Anjali Sharma
WASHINGTON – According to an Indian official on Sunday from the Directorate General of Foreign Trade said that these imports will be permitted only through the Nhava Sheva seaport in Mumbai, effectively barring all land ports on the India-Bangladesh border.
India has imposed port restrictions on the import of jute and several of its derivatives from Bangladesh, with immediate effect in a fresh move aimed at recalibrating bilateral trade dynamics.
The restriction covers a wide range of jute and bast fibre products, including flax tow and waste, raw or retted jute, single and multiple flax or jute yarns, and various woven and unbleached fabric forms as per the DGFT notification dated June 27.
The notification clarified that these curbs will not apply to consignments transiting through India from Bangladesh to Nepal and Bhutan.
Re-export of such goods from Nepal or Bhutan to India, however, will not be allowed.
Media reported that this decision follows a similar restriction imposed on May 17, when India limited imports of Bangladesh ready-made garments and other items through its northeastern land ports, including those in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram, as well as Fulbari and Changrabandha in West Bengal.
The earlier curbs were imposed shortly after controversial remarks made by Bangladesh’s interim Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus during a visit to China, where he referred to India’s northeastern states as a “landlocked region with no access to the ocean.”
The statement was perceived by Indian officials as undermining the region’s connectivity and strategic importance.
The May directive forced Bangladeshi exporters to reroute goods such as RMG, plastics, melamine, furniture, juices, and processed foods through Kolkata or Nhava Sheva, significantly raising logistics costs. Imports of essential commodities such as fish, LPG, edible oil, and crushed stone remained unaffected, and transits to Nepal and Bhutan continued, the official stated.
According to the media reports, the measures are a response to Bangladesh’s restrictive trade practices, including limits on Indian yarn and rice and increased inspection protocols for Indian goods.
It emphasized that India is to establish “reciprocal terms” in its trade relations with Bangladesh.
It noted that Dhaka cannot “cherry-pick” trade privileges or treat India’s northeast as a captive market while denying the region adequate access and transit.
India intends to ensure a level playing field, the sources added, reiterated that future trade relations with Bangladesh will be guided by mutual respect and fairness by limiting import routes to just two seaports.
