India's Port Clampdown May Cost Bangladesh $770 Million

India's move will affect major goods like readymade garments, processed food and plastics

- Dhirendra Kumar

India's decision to impose port restrictions on Bangladeshi goods may hurt Dhaka's dollar-earning trade, especially in garments and processed goods, at a time when the country is navigating a tricky economic and geopolitical shift.

New Delhi's tightening of the screws may restrict Bangladeshi exports worth $770 million to India—nearly 42% of the neighboring country's global export earnings—by barring several goods from land routes and limiting them to a few seaports.

India's move, which affects major goods like readymade garments, processed food and plastics, comes against the backdrop of a dip in ties with Dhaka, and its series of recent trade restrictions targeting Indian exports.

The biggest blow would be to Bangladesh's main export, garments, which earned $618 million from India between April 2024 to February 2025, the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), a trade think tank, said on Sunday.