Amid escalating political turmoil in Bangladesh, Indian exporters are increasingly cutting back shipments to the neighbouring country through Petrapole, South Asia’s largest land port, triggering a sharp slowdown in cross-border trade.
Petrapole, a critical gateway for India–Bangladesh commerce, is witnessing a significant decline in the number of trucks entering Bangladesh compared to December last year. Exporters attribute the fall to growing uncertainty over payments from Bangladeshi importers as the country grapples with its worst political crisis in decades.
Following a mass uprising in July last year that led to the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina government, daily truck movement through the Petrapole–Benapole border has dropped by nearly half. “During July last year, around 500–550 trucks were entering Bangladesh each day from Petrapole. Now, the number has come down to around 250 trucks a day on average,” said Karthik Chakraborty, Secretary of the Petrapole Clearing Agents’ Staff Welfare Association.
He added that inbound traffic from Bangladesh has also declined sharply. “Trucks entering India from the Bangladeshi side have fallen to about 70 per day from nearly 250 earlier,” Chakraborty said.
Located about 80 km from Kolkata in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district, Petrapole accounts for a substantial share of bilateral trade between the two countries. Bangladesh primarily imports raw cotton, iron, plastics, chemicals, onions and other perishable commodities through the port, while India imports leather goods, footwear, cotton rags, jute products and fish.
The slowdown in exports has dealt a severe blow to the trucking industry, a significant portion of which depends on trade with Bangladesh. “Nearly 30 per cent of India’s trucking industry is linked to trade with Bangladesh. With exports falling, demand for trucks has also dropped, causing major financial stress,” said Sajal Ghosh, Secretary of the Federation of West Bengal Truck Operators’ Association.
Ghosh noted that the impact is not limited to Petrapole alone. “Other major land ports in West Bengal—Gojadanga, Hili, Mahadipur and Fulbari—are also seeing a substantial decline in trade volumes. Moreover, truck owners are struggling to get insurance coverage for vehicles entering Bangladesh due to the prevailing political instability,” he added.
Industry stakeholders fear that unless political stability returns to Bangladesh and confidence in payment mechanisms is restored, cross-border trade through land ports may continue to shrink, deepening losses for exporters, logistics operators and allied sectors.
