Trade through Benapole land port halted for two days

Import and export activities between Bangladesh and India through Benapole land port remained suspended for the last two days due to the weekly holiday and the public holiday for the Holy Eid-e-Miladunnabi.

Customs and port operations also came to a standstill during this period, though the movement of passport holders between the two countries continued as usual, officials said.

Emadadul Haque Lota, general secretary of the Benapole Clearing and Forwarding (C&F) Agents Association, said no trade took place with India on Friday because of the weekly holiday, while all customs and port activities were suspended on Saturday for Eid-e-Miladunnabi. "Trade operations are expected to resume on Sunday morning," he added.

Ilias Hossain Munshi, officer-in-charge of Benapole Checkpost Immigration, said passenger movement across the border was running smoothly despite the trade suspension.

Benapole Port Authority Director Shamim Hossain said port operations were halted due to the holiday, but arrangements were made to send back empty Indian trucks that had earlier unloaded goods at the port.

According to port data, around 300 trucks carrying goods from India enter Bangladesh daily through Benapole, while about 80 trucks depart for India with exported goods. The government earns an estimated Tk 15 crore daily from import trade alone.