13 trucks carrying food items stranded at Burimari land port after India halts imports

As many as 13 trucks carrying food items from several companies have been stranded at Burimari land port in Lalmonirhat following India’s restrictions on imports.

Refayet Hossain, C&F agent representative of the Burimari land port trade syndicate, said on Sunday evening: "Several trucks belonging to PRAN-RFL Group arrived at the port through us on Saturday night. The goods were supposed to be exported on Sunday morning, but the clearance could not be obtained due to the import ban from the Indian side."

Of the trucks, 11 are carrying varieties of juices, one contains potato crackers and another is loaded with products made by noodles, he said.

The port’s Assistant Director Mehedi Hasan said, “Around 240 trucks of goods have been imported through the port as of 5:30pm on Sunday. These include stone boulders, crushed stone, cardamom, Bhutanese juice and paraffin.”

He said, “The import operations are running normally. However, India's ban on the export of food products remains in effect.”

The Indian government suspended the import of at least seven categories of goods from Bangladesh through the land ports, including processed food products and garments, reports bdnews24.com.

The ban, which the country’s commerce ministry said took immediate effect, comes just a month after Bangladesh imposed restrictions on Indian yarn imports via land ports.

In the fiscal year 2023–24, Bangladesh exported goods worth approximately $1.57 billion to India.

Meanwhile, authorities have reportedly begun the process of returning the food-laden trucks from the port on Sunday afternoon.