Bilateral trade between India and Bangladesh has taken a sharp hit, with non-tariff barriers imposed by both sides raising transaction costs by nearly 20 per cent, according to Bangladesh’s Ministry of Commerce. With cargo movement through land ports declining steeply, traders are increasingly forced to reroute industrial imports and exports via Chittagong Port, a shift that has made trade slower and more expensive. Commerce Secretary Mahbubur Rahman said Dhaka has sought dialogue on several occasions—sending three formal letters at the secretary level and a direct appeal from the Commerce Adviser to India’s Commerce Minister—but New Delhi has yet to respond. “India isn’t even explaining why it’s avoiding dialogue,” Rahman noted.
