After nearly eight years, apple imports from India have resumed through Bangladesh’s Hili Land Port in Dinajpur. The first shipment entered the country on October 9, marking the reopening of a trade route that had been inactive for almost a decade.
According to the General Secretary of the Hili Land Port Importers-Exporters Association, Sakhawat Hossain Shilpi, the legal import of apples from India had been suspended for nearly eight years, despite sustained demand in Bangladesh’s domestic market.
“Following a meeting between importers and traders from both countries, apple imports from India officially resumed through Hili port,” said Shilpi. “The first shipment, imported from Kashmir by Chittagong-based company Khwaja Azmir Trading, arrived on Sunday.”
A truck carrying 30 tons of apples entered Bangladesh around 5 p.m. that day. After customs verification, unloading began later in the evening. The apples were transported through official channels, with clearance handled by port authorities.
The return of apple imports through Hili Land Port is expected to restore regulated trade and could help balance prices in Bangladesh’s fruit markets, where demand for imported apples typically rises ahead of winter.
