India bans land port entry of Jute imports from Bangladesh

In a fresh move aimed at recalibrating bilateral trade dynamics, India has imposed port restrictions on the import of jute and several of its derivatives from Bangladesh, with immediate effect.

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 According to an official from the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), these imports will now be permitted only through the Nhava Sheva seaport in Mumbai, effectively barring all land ports on the India-Bangladesh border.

As per the DGFT notification dated June 27, 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.

However, the notification clarifies 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.

This decision follows a similar restriction imposed on May 17, when India limited imports of Bangladeshi ready-made garments (RMG) 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. 

Those 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.

According to the reports, the recent 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 emphasised that India is aiming to establish “reciprocal terms” in its trade relations with Bangladesh, noting that Dhaka cannot “cherry-pick” trade privileges or treat India’s northeast as a captive market while denying the region adequate access and transit.

By limiting import routes to just two seaports, India intends to ensure a level playing field, the sources added, reiterating that future trade relations with Bangladesh will be guided by mutual respect and fairness.