Traders said that around 50 trucks loaded with export goods have been stranded at Burimari land port in Lalmonirhat’s Patgram upazila for three days due to Indian traders’ decision to halt imports.
Importers at Changrabandha land port in Cooch Behar, West Bengal, have refrained from bringing in goods from Bangladesh since Sunday, according to traders at Lalmonirhat.
Indian traders took the decision after their Bangladeshi counterparts at Burimari land port stopped importing boulder stones from India and Bhutan on Saturday, flaring tensions and disrupting trade.
Burimari land port is used to export garment scraps, juice, biscuits, and apparel items from Bangladesh to India.
“Indian importers have stopped taking our goods since Sunday. As a result, 50 trucks loaded with export products are stranded at the port,” said Shamim Hossain, an exporter at Burimari land port.
“They said imports won’t resume unless Bangladesh starts importing boulder stones from India and Bhutan again,” he added.
Another exporter, Humayun Kabir, said the suspension was linked to rising stone prices.
“Importers at Burimari land port stopped bringing in boulder stones from India and Bhutan due to price hikes. Now, we are in trouble with the trucks stuck at the port,” he said.
Abu Raiyan Ashari Rachi, president of the Burimari Land Port Importers-Exporters Association, said boulder stones from India and Bhutan were being sold at $10, $14, and $16 per tonne, causing losses for Bangladeshi importers.
“We sent a letter to Indian traders requesting a $1 reduction per tonne, but they did not respond. As a result, imports of boulder stones have remained suspended since Saturday,” he said.
“Even though there is no issue with the pricing of export goods, Indian traders have unreasonably halted imports from Bangladesh.”
He added that stone imports will not be resumed unless the prices are lowered as discussions are ongoing with the Indian traders.
However, Mehedi Hasan, assistant director of the Bangladesh Land Ports Authority at Burimari, said that the conflict was an internal issue between the traders of two countries and not an official matter.
“Since port revenue depends on import and export activities, we are in discussions with traders. We hope the issue will be resolved soon,” he added.