Benapole land port gets back on track
Although imports at the land port resumed on June 7 after a series of meetings, no goods from Bangladesh were exported to India in the last 100 days
Trade between Bangladesh and India resumed through Benapole land port at full swing from Monday. Through this, the activities at the land port get back to normal.
"Actually, trade through the port resumed at full swing on Monday. Fifty truckloads of goods were exported to India while 250 truckloads of goods entered Bangladesh on that day," Syed Neyamul Islam, Additional Commissioner of Benapole Customs, said.
In the last two days, 400 truckloads of goods were imported and 130 truckloads of goods were exported to India.
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Benapole Port Deputy Director Mamun Tarafdar said 250 truckloads of goods were imported and 50 truckloads of goods were exported till Monday evening while 150 truckloads of goods were imported and 80 truckloads of goods were exported on Tuesday.
However, the export of Bangladeshi goods to India resumed on Sunday, after 100 days of closure following the Covid-19 outbreak. On the first day, five truckloads of goods entered India.
Although imports at the land port resumed on June 7 after a series of meetings, no goods from Bangladesh were exported to India in the last 100 days.
About 70 percent of Bangladesh's export products to India go through the Benapole port.
Bangladeshi exporters blocked imports from India through this port from July 1 following the decision from the other side to continue a block on imports from Bangladesh.
Mofizur Rahman Sajan, president of the Benapole Customs Clearing and Forwarding Agents Association, said, ''In the face of our movement, India has started importing goods from Bangladesh. Activities of the port have been going on normally since Monday. "
Aminul Haque, vice-president of the Benapole Import-Export Association, said everyone is running export-import activities in compliance with health rules. Benapole land port has become busy again with the restarting of trade activities.
Sajedur Rahman, president of the Benapole Customs Clearing and Forwarding Agents Staff Association, said Benapole port has finally started to return to its previous pace.
''We are relieved because trade has resumed in full swing."
Import and export activities through Benapole port were suspended since March 22 due to the virus infection.
About 9,000 tonnes of Bangladeshi goods worth around Tk10,000 crore are exported to India through this port every year. But many times more products are imported from India.
Bangladesh usually exports woven garments, knitted garments, knitted fabrics, shrimp, different types of fish, raw Jute, jute products (jute bags, jute yarn, sacks, tissues, betel nuts, rice husk, cotton rags (Jhut), batteries, zinc pots, ceramic tiles, soap, bone powder, raw leather, processed leather, medicines, vegetables, fruits, tea, petroleum by-products, handicrafts, cement etc. to India.
