Benapole land port reopens for export-import activities
All imports were stopped at the largest landport in South Asia, when the Bangladesh government suspended internet services and declared a curfew, because the port uses an online system
Export and import activities at Benapole, the country's largest land port, have resumed after being suspended for several days due to unrest and curfew.
Some 812 goods-laden trucks, stranded on the Indian side, are now slowly moving to Bangladesh, reports the Indian Express.
Benapole land port, located in Benapole town of Sharsha upazila in Jashore, is used for export-import trade with India.
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Trade through this port came to a complete halt when the Bangladesh government suspended internet services because the port uses an online system.
"The stalemate caused by unrest in Bangladesh has ended and our exports have started but they are slow," Indian Secretary of Petrapole Clearing Agents Staff Welfare Association Kartik Chakraborty said.
The Bangladesh administration has assured security to Indian vehicles and the government is also prioritising import-export, he said.
"Our trucks are crossing the border as Benapole has resumed online services, but it will take five to six days for normalcy as the internet is not fully operational in various parts of the country," Chakraborty added.
Daily, 450 to 500 trucks from India enter Bangladesh through this land port. About 150 to 200 trucks come to India from Bangladesh on average, the officials said.
Through the port, India exports cotton fabrics, motor vehicle chassis, non-alloy steel, yarn, iron and steel products, synthetic fibres, two-wheelers, jute seeds, machinery parts, books and papers, cereals, and other food products to Bangladesh.
India imports jute, readymade garments, betel nut, and rice bran among other products from Bangladesh.
