A month after India revoked the transhipment facility for Bangladesh, the government has now imposed new port restrictions on the import of specific goods from the neighbouring country. In a notification issued on May 17, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), under the Department of Commerce, announced that certain Bangladeshi imports—such as readymade garments, processed food items, and plastic goods—will now be subject to limited entry points.
According to the notification, the import of all types of readymade garments from Bangladesh will be prohibited through land ports and permitted only via Nhava Sheva and Kolkata seaports. Other restricted items include fruit and fruit-flavoured carbonated beverages, processed food items, cotton and cotton yarn waste, plastic and PVC finished goods, and wooden furniture. These measures follow a broader tightening of trade protocols with Bangladesh amid shifting regional trade dynamics.
The import of fruit and fruit-flavoured carbonated drinks, processed food items such as baked goods, snacks, chips, and confectionery, as well as cotton and cotton yarn waste, plastic and PVC finished products, and wooden furniture, will be prohibited through all Land Customs Stations (LCSs) and Integrated Check Posts (ICPs) located in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram. Additionally, the restriction applies to the Changrabandha and Fulbari LCSs in West Bengal.
However, the import of pigments, dyes, plasticisers, and granules—used as raw materials for domestic industries—will continue to be permitted. Additionally, the new port restrictions do not apply to the import of essential commodities such as fish, LPG, edible oil, and crushed stone from Bangladesh. These restrictions are also not applicable to Bangladeshi goods transiting through India en route to Nepal and Bhutan.
Earlier, on April 9, the Indian government had withdrawn the transhipment facility previously granted to Bangladesh, citing logistical issues and congestion at Indian ports and airports. This facility had allowed Bangladesh to move container trucks from the Petrapole Land Port—the largest land port in South Asia—to key Indian transit hubs, including Kolkata Port, Kolkata Airport’s cargo complex, Nhava Sheva Port (Jawaharlal Nehru Port) in Maharashtra, and Delhi Airport.
In addition, Bangladeshi exporters were permitted to use freight trains from Petrapole, Gede, and Ranaghat Land Ports to transport goods to Nhava Sheva Port, from where the cargo was dispatched to international destinations.
