Port restrictions on imports from Bangladesh to have impact in Bengal, but national interest supreme: Officials

Kolkata: Though the Centre's move to restrict imports of certain goods from Bangladesh via land ports will have an impact on employment and transport revenue in West Bengal, the national interest is more important than the potential economic fallout, officials said on Sunday.

The central government on Saturday imposed port restrictions on the import of a few Bangladeshi goods, such as readymade garments and processed food items, in response to similar curbs placed by Dhaka on certain Indian products last month.

"Around 20-30 trucks, carrying finished premium garments, used to come daily even after India banned third-country transhipment. The latest order will completely stop such movement via land ports. When transhipment was allowed, 60-80 truckloads of garments were entering India," Petrapole Clearing Agents Staff Welfare Association (PCASWA) member Kartik Chakraborty said.

Truckers and workers at border logistics hubs will be affected by the port restriction order, he said.

A trade expert, declining to be named, said the finished garments from Bangladesh often make their way into modern Indian retail chains at low prices, and these products are effectively being "dumped into the market by Bangladeshi exporters".

"The move by the Centre may be strategic, possibly linked to national interest and recent geopolitical developments, including Dhaka's ties with Islamabad. The national interest is more important than the potential economic fallout," the expert said.

The notification imposes "port restrictions on the import of certain goods such as readymade garments, processed food items etc., from Bangladesh to India," the Centre said.

The order said that readymade garments imports from Bangladesh will not be allowed from any land port. However, it is allowed only through the Nhava Sheva and Kolkata seaports.

For fruits, fruit flavoured and carbonated drinks, processed food items (baked goods, snacks, chips and confectionary), cotton and cotton yarn waste, plastic and PVC finished goods, dyes, plasticisers and granules, and wooden furniture, the notification said the inbound shipments from the neighbouring country shall not be allowed through any LCSs (Land Customs Stations) and ICPs (Integrated Check Posts) in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram, and LCS Changrabandha and Fulbari, in West Bengal.

Chakraborty pointed out that seaport imports are not a preferred option due to the longer transit time of around two weeks, as compared to just 3-4 days via road.