Bangladesh Commerce Ministry Holds Emergency Meeting After India Withdraws Transshipment Facility

Dhaka, April 10 ,2025:The Ministry of Commerce in Bangladesh convened an emergency meeting in Dhaka on Wednesday following India’s abrupt withdrawal of the transshipment facility that allowed Bangladesh to export goods to third countries—such as Nepal, Bhutan, and Myanmar—via Indian land routes.

The high-level meeting took place at the office of the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) in Karwan Bazar and included prominent business leaders and senior officials from the Ministry of Commerce, according to a report by the Dhaka Tribune.

India’s Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) revoked, with immediate effect, a directive issued on June 29, 2020. The directive had permitted Bangladesh to move goods to third countries using Indian ports, airports, and land borders for onward export.

Further complicating the matter, Indian authorities have instructed that all currently loaded Bangladeshi consignments within Indian territory must exit the country without delay.

As Bangladesh’s exports to Bhutan, Nepal, and Myanmar heavily rely on Indian infrastructure, the move sparked serious concerns among Bangladeshi exporters and policymakers. The decision effectively halted much of Bangladesh’s land-based trade with these nations.

In response to the growing anxiety, India’s Ministry of External Affairs clarified that the move does not affect Bangladesh’s exports to Nepal and Bhutan through Indian land routes.

Speaking at a media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal explained,

“The trans-shipment facility extended to Bangladesh had over a period of time resulted in significant congestion at our airports and ports. Logistical delays and rising costs were affecting our own exports. Therefore, the facility has been withdrawn with effect from April 8, 2025.
Let me clarify, however, that these measures do not impact Bangladesh’s exports to Nepal and Bhutan transiting through Indian territory.”