In a major shake-up of cross-border trade, India has imposed sweeping port restrictions on Bangladeshi imports, with readymade garments (RMG) at the center of the crackdown.

Effective immediately, the new rules bar the import of RMG through any land ports, permitting entry only via the seaports of Nhava Sheva and Kolkata.

It followed India’s earlier move on April 8, when it had withdrawn transshipment facilities for Bangladesh’s exports to third countries via Indian ports and airports.

The directive, which had been issued by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) under India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry on 17 May, was said to have taken effect immediately.

The regulation has limited the entry of several Bangladeshi products, including all categories of readymade garments, to just two Indian seaports — Nhava Sheva and Kolkata.

The import of these goods via any land port is prohibited.

Similar restrictions have been applied to other Bangladeshi exports such as processed food items, carbonated and fruit-flavoured drinks, cotton and cotton yarn waste, wooden furniture, and finished plastic and PVC goods, excluding industrial raw materials like pigments, dyes, plasticisers and granules.

The affected land entry points include customs stations and integrated check posts in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram, along with West Bengal’s Changrabandha and Fulbari crossings.

Notably, the DGFT directive provided exceptions for certain essential items. Imports of fish, LPG, edible oil, and crushed stone from Bangladesh continued unaffected.

In addition, Bangladeshi goods transiting through India to Nepal and Bhutan were exempt from the new restrictions.

Earlier on April 8, India had revoked the transshipment facility for Bangladesh’s export cargo to third countries that transited through its land borders to Indian airports and ports.