- No imports from India through Akhaura port during February-June
- Akhaura exports rise only 1.9 per cent in FY26
- Imports plunge 73.2 per cent in FY26
- Revenue from imports drops 82.9 per cent
- Plastic, processed food, PVC top exports after frozen fish
Revenue collection at Akhaura land port fell sharply in the 2025-26 fiscal year after imports from India came to a halt for five consecutive months, while export growth remained subdued amid Indian restrictions on several Bangladeshi products.
Data from the Akhaura Land Customs Station showed revenue from imports plunged 82.9 per cent to Tk71.33 lakh in FY26 from Tk4.17 crore a year earlier as no goods entered Bangladesh through the port between February and June.
Imports dropped 73.2 per cent to Tk1.96 crore from Tk7.32 crore in the previous fiscal year. Imported items included rice, incense sticks and cumin.
Exports, meanwhile, rose just 1.9 per cent to Tk524.03 crore from Tk514.34 crore, an increase of only Tk9.69 crore. Major export items included frozen fish, cement, dried fish, flour and edible oil.
The port has handled cross-border trade with India for more than three decades and has consistently exported more than it imports. Nearly half of current exports are frozen fish shipped to India’s northeastern states through the Agartala land port in Tripura.
Traders attributed the sharp decline in imports to limited importable items and high transport costs, saying most permitted goods originate from Indian states outside Tripura, making the trade commercially unattractive.
They also blamed India’s restrictions, imposed on May 17, 2025, on the import of several Bangladeshi products through land ports for curbing export growth. The restrictions remain in force.
Akhaura land port importer-exporter Rajib Uddin Bhuiyan said exports of high-demand products, including plastic goods, processed food, fruit-flavoured juice, PVC products and cotton, had been affected.
“After frozen fish, plastic, processed food and PVC items were exported the most,” he said.
Trader Md Nasir Uddin said imports would increase if businesses were allowed to import products based on domestic demand.
“Otherwise, there is no possibility of increasing imports or making them regular. No one will import goods by incurring losses day after day,” he said.
Nisar Uddin Bhuiyan, senior vice-president of the Akhaura Land Port C&F Agents Association, said traders had expected India to withdraw the restrictions after Bangladesh’s elected government assumed office.
“But as that did not happen, our export earnings did not increase as expected,” he said, urging both governments to resolve the issue through discussions.
Assistant Commissioner of Akhaura Land Customs Station Sheikh Shahir Ahmed acknowledged that irregular imports had reduced revenue collection.
He said customs authorities were providing all necessary support to facilitate trade and had informed higher authorities of traders’ demand to allow imports of a wider range of products.
