Since India and Bangladesh resumed trade by railways through Benapole land port, India has exported around 40,000 tonnes of freight to the neighbouring nation. Passenger train movement has remained suspended since July 19.
The cargo exported includes fly ash, dry oil cake, gypsum, stone and natural gas. There is a ban on exports of rice, wheat and sugar.
It has learnt that 16 rakes were dispatched from three railway stations in India to Bangladesh in the past two weeks. A maximum of seven rakes carried dry oil cakes to the neighbouring country while four rakes transported fly ash, which is key for cement production and a key part of the trade between the two countries. Three rakes carried natural gas and one each transported gypsum and stone.
Sources said the resumption of trade between two nations started after a gap of 47 days following discussions between highlevel officials from both countries. They added that on August 12, the rail authorities of Bangladesh had sent a letter to their Indian counterparts seeking resumption of both freight and passenger train service.
India’s export to Bangladesh touched a record level of $ 14 billion in 2021 before declining to $ 13.8 billion in 2022 and $ 11.3 billion in 2023. The recent development in Bangladesh has already impacted the trade between the two nations. Bangladesh had emerged as one of India’s leading export destinations and the largest in the South Asian region in recent years.