In a development impacting cross-border trade in the Northeast, a Tripura-based trade body has come out in support of the Centre’s decision to impose port restrictions on certain imports from Bangladesh.

The Tripura Chamber of Trade and Business (TCTB), which represents local businessmen and traders, welcomed the move, stating that national interest must come first.

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The new restrictions, announced by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) on May 18, curb the import of select Bangladeshi goods — including readymade garments and processed food items — through specific ports. However, the DGFT clarified that these restrictions would not affect Bangladeshi goods in transit through India to landlocked nations like Nepal and Bhutan.

TCTB General Secretary Rajat Paul told the local media that Bangladeshi exporters, who have traditionally sent large volumes of goods into the Indian market via land ports in Tripura and other northeastern states, would be the ones most affected. “We welcome the DGFT’s decision. The interest of the country is above everything else. Bangladeshi exporters, especially those operating through land ports, will be the biggest losers,” he said.

Paul pointed out that Bangladesh’s Comilla and Brahmanbaria districts host around 28 cement manufacturing factories, which have been supplying massive quantities of cement to northeastern India, including Tripura. Additionally, he noted a rising trend of Bangladeshi traders exporting corrugated roofing sheets to the region, which will now be restricted under the new trade regulations.

Trade statistics reveal a growing imbalance in bilateral commerce between Tripura and Bangladesh. During the 2022–23 financial year, Tripura imported goods worth Rs 636.72 crore from Bangladesh, which rose to Rs 703.67 crore in 2023–24. In stark contrast, the state’s exports to Bangladesh were a mere Rs 121.37 crore in FY 2022–23 and plunged to just Rs 12.31 crore in 2023–24.

Tripura shares an 856-kilometre international border with Bangladesh and operates five functional land ports. These gateways have played a crucial role in facilitating cross-border trade under the India-Bangladesh Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade.