Overview

• India's Directorate General of Foreign Trade has mandated that Bangladeshi ready-made garments and other consumer goods can only enter through Nhava Sheva and Kolkata seaports, effective immediately.
• The restrictions bar land port entry for items like processed foods, carbonated drinks, cotton yarn waste, plastics, and wooden furniture, while exempting essentials such as fish, LPG, edible oil, and crushed stone.
• These measures follow Bangladesh's recent bans on Indian yarn and rice imports via land ports, as well as tightened inspections on Indian goods.
• The changes impact approximately $770 million in Bangladeshi imports to India, or 42% of total bilateral imports, according to trade analysis.
• India frames the restrictions as a step toward equitable trade and regional manufacturing growth, particularly in its northeastern states, which face significant trade barriers with Bangladesh.