Trade barriers stunt growth at Akhaura land port

Growth at the Akhaura Land Port in Brahmanbaria slowed sharply in the 2025–26 fiscal year as India’s restrictions on imports from Bangladesh curtailed exports and irregular imports caused a steep fall in government revenue, traders and customs officials said.

According to the Akhaura Land Port Customs Station, exports through the port reached Tk524.03 crore in FY2025–26, up from Tk514.34 crore in the previous fiscal year, an increase of only Tk9.69 crore, far below traders’ expectations.

The port, once known for a wide range of export items, is now largely dependent on a handful of products, with frozen fish accounting for the bulk of shipments. Cement, dried fish, flour and edible oil are among the few other products currently exported to India’s northeastern states through Agartala.

Assistant Commissioner of Akhaura Land Port Customs Station Sheikh Sahir Ahmed acknowledged that irregular imports had significantly reduced revenue collection. 

He said customs authorities were extending all possible support to traders and had forwarded their demand to higher authorities for permission to import a wider range of goods. Traders attributed the sluggish growth to restrictions imposed by India on 17 May 2025, banning the import of several Bangladeshi products through land ports, including plastic goods, processed foods, fruit-flavoured beverages, PVC products and cotton.

Rajib Uddin Bhuiyan, an importer-exporter at the port, said the ban has remained in force for more than a year, preventing the export of several high-demand Bangladeshi products and limiting the port’s growth potential.

The import situation has deteriorated further, with almost no imports taking place between February and June this year due to traders’ reluctance. During the fiscal year, imports were limited to rice, incense sticks and cumin seeds worth Tk1.96 crore, generating Tk71.33 lakh in customs revenue.

In comparison, imports in FY2024–25 amounted to Tk7.32 crore, while revenue collection stood at Tk4.12 crore, indicating a decline of nearly 83% in customs revenue over the year.

Traders said most goods permitted for import through Akhaura have to be transported from Indian states outside Tripura, significantly increasing transport costs and making the business commercially unviable.

Md Nasir Uddin, another trader, said importers should be allowed to bring in products with demand in the domestic market, adding that limiting imports to a small number of items discourages business.

Nisar Uddin Bhuiyan, senior vice-president of the Akhaura Importers and Exporters Association, said traders had hoped India would ease the restrictions following the formation of Bangladesh’s elected government, as bilateral relations had improved. He urged both governments to resolve the issue through dialogue and remove the trade barriers to restore export growth.

Port officials said expanding the list of tradable products, removing bilateral trade barriers and adopting realistic import policies would be essential to unlocking the full commercial potential of one of Bangladesh’s most export-oriented land ports.