BIG setback for Bangladesh as India bans imports of key items via land routes, shipments to be routed only through…

India on Monday banned the import of certain jute products and ropes from Bangladesh through all land routes, with the decision taking effect immediately. The move comes at a time when relations between the two countries are tense. However, according to a notification from the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), these imports will still be allowed through the Nhava Sheva port in Maharashtra. The notice clearly states that no such imports from Bangladesh will be permitted through any land port on the India-Bangladesh border.

“Imports from Bangladesh shall not be allowed from any land port on the India-Bangladesh border,” the DGFT said, adding that the move “regulates” imports of certain goods with immediate effect.

Items on the banned list

The ban covers bleached and unbleached woven fabrics made from jute or other bast fibres, jute twine, string, rope, as well as jute sacks and bags.

Earlier, on June 27, India had already restricted the import of many jute products and woven fabrics from Bangladesh through all land routes. Similar restrictions were also announced in April and May this year, with imports allowed only via the Nhava Sheva port.

On May 17, India imposed port restrictions on certain goods from Bangladesh, while on April 9, it withdrew the transhipment facility that allowed Dhaka to ship goods to destinations including the Middle East and Europe, except for Nepal and Bhutan.

It further banned fruit or fruit flavoured and carbonated drinks; processed food items, including baked goods, snacks, chips and confectionery; cotton and cotton yarn waste; plastic and PVC finished goods, excluding pigments, dyes, plasticisers, and granules that form input for own industries; and wooden furniture from any LCSs or ICPs in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram, and LCS Changrabandha and Fulbari in West Bengal.

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