Protests in Bangladesh Severely Impact Indian Export Trade

The North Bengal Exporters Association reported that ongoing protests in Bangladesh have severely disrupted trade, leading to stranded vehicles, halted shipments, and financial losses for Indian exporters. With border closures and banks shut, payments remain unprocessed, exacerbating the crisis.

Brij Kishore Prasad, Secretary of the North Bengal Exporters Association, revealed on Tuesday that the ongoing protests in Bangladesh have caused substantial losses for Indian exporters. He highlighted that border closures have left vehicles stranded and prevented the unloading of dispatched shipments.

Prasad added that with a curfew in place and banks closed in Bangladesh, payments for shipped goods are yet to be received. 'Whenever there's agitation, a crisis follows... For the past 15-20 days, the border's closure has stranded vehicles. Current protests have halted all exports, forcing vehicles to incur detention fines of Rs 2,000 per day,' he told ANI. Exporters are experiencing significant financial losses.

He further noted that due to the disturbances in Bangladesh, exporters have faced severe losses amounting to approximately Rs 20 crore. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla announced that External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar would address the Parliament on the situation in Bangladesh. The statement is scheduled for 3:30 pm in Lok Sabha and 2:30 pm in Rajya Sabha.

The political climate in Bangladesh remains volatile as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned following massive protests, primarily led by students against a quota system for government jobs. Student leaders proposed an interim government headed by Nobel Laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus to navigate the crisis.

Meanwhile, Sheikh Hasina arrived in India on Monday evening after resigning. It remains unclear whether she will stay in Delhi or relocate.

(With inputs from agencies.)