Trade chokes through Sylhet borders amid Indian restrictions

Tamabil land port passes idle time. UNB

By Mohammed Mohsin

Sylhet, May 23 (UNB) – In the lushgreen hills and tranquil borderlands of Sylhet, a hush has fallen over the once-bustling trade arteries of Tamabil and Sheola land ports.

Export activities at these two critical crossings have ground to a halt, the result of an abrupt ban imposed by neighbouring India, a decision sending ripples of distress through Sylhet’s trading community.

According to sources, the crux of the issue lies in India’s decision to block the import of goods that it has placed on a restricted list.

Ironically, it is precisely these blacklisted items that constitute the lion’s share of exports from Tamabil – which faces India’s picturesque Meghalaya state – and Sheola, which connects with Assam across the serene borders of Sylhet’s Beanibazar upazila.

Now, a thick veil of uncertainty looms large over Sylhet’s export future.

The ports, once alive with the hum of trade and the rhythm of transnational commerce, are eerily silent.

Business leaders have sounded the alarm. Should this impasse endure, Bangladesh stands to lose a vital foothold in the lucrative northeastern market of India, often referred to as the 'Seven Sister' states.

This region, historically reliant on imports through these accessible land ports, had emerged as a promising consumer base for Bangladeshi goods.

Conversations with local importers and exporters reveal a sobering reality.

India, too, has long utilised these routes to ship goods into Bangladesh, drawn by the ease of transit and strategic proximity.

This seamless two-way movement had once rendered Bangladeshi products exceptionally competitive and sought-after in India’s remote northeast.

Among the items that have typically crossed the border are ready-made garments, fruits, fruit juices, household consumables, plastic products, furniture and crockery. However, most of these fall squarely within the purview of India's newly reinforced restrictions.

Faced with this challenge, many traders find little incentive to dispatch the limited number of remaining permissible items, resulting in a de facto cessation of export activities.

Adding to the gravity of the situation, sources indicate that numerous manufacturing hubs had been set up in the industrial belts of Habiganj in Sylhet – strategically aligned to serve the demand from across the border.

These factories, focused largely on consumer goods and plastic items, are now confronting a precarious future.

Unless the restrictions are lifted with urgency, the financial toll on these enterprises could be devastating.

The human cost of this disruption is already being felt. Exporters, importers and industrialists are reeling from the sudden turn of events.

Not long ago, shipments of plastic products and fruit juice flowed regularly through the ports. Now, those same trucks are being turned away, laden with unsold goods and unmet expectations.

Shah Alam, a C&F (Clearing and Forwarding) agent stationed at Sheola Land Port, painted a bleak picture. “Major industrial units will suffer if the export ban continues,” he cautioned.

“They may be forced to scale back production. India has not restricted all products, but the ones that are allowed are not imported in large quantities. The ban mainly targets high-volume goods, which has virtually crippled port activities,” he said.

He added that a solitary truck of melamine goods managed to cross into India through Sheola on Monday (May 19).

But, numerous others bearing plastic and consumer items were compelled to retreat due to the prevailing ban.

Echoing the collective anxiety of Sylhet’s business community, Foyez Hasan Ferdous, President of the Sylhet Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said, “It’s only natural that India’s restrictions would have a negative impact on Sylhet’s export trade. Both Bangladeshi and Indian businesses are being affected.”

Ferdous urged the two nations to seek a diplomatic resolution through constructive bilateral dialogue, emphasising that such an initiative could provide much-needed relief to traders and communities on both sides of the border.

As the silence at Tamabil and Sheola persists, so too does the hope that reason and resolution will prevail – breathing life once more into the trade routes that have long connected people, goods, and aspirations across borders. - UNB