India has restricted the import of certain jute products and woven fabrics from Bangladesh through land routes, according to a recent notification by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade. These goods are now allowed entry only via the Nhava Sheva seaport in Maharashtra.
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India has imposed import restrictions on products made from jute and flax, in various forms, originating from Bangladesh. As per a notification issued by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), these products will now be permitted entry into India only through the Nhava Sheva port in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra. Additionally, imports of readymade garments and certain processed items from Bangladesh have been barred via land ports.
According to an official source, “Jute from Bangladesh enjoys a duty free access to India. However, the Indian jute industry has, for long, suffered due to the adverse impact of dumped and subsidised imports of jute products – particularly yarn, fibre and bags – from Bangladesh.”
The notification issued on Friday (June 27, 2025) covers a range of products, including flax tow and waste (such as yarn waste and garneted stock), jute and other textile bast fibers, single yarn made from jute or other bast fibers, woven flax fabrics, and unbleached woven fabrics made from jute or similar textile bast fibers.
Jute is produced in West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tripura, and Meghalaya and jute industry employs around four lakh workers in organised mills and diversified units. Earlier, in April 2025, India withdrew the transshipment facility for Bangladeshi exports to third countries via Indian ports and airports, amid growing diplomatic tensions between the two nations.
Effective from May 2025, imports of the affected products will be allowed only through Kolkata and Nhava Sheva ports. Moreover, India has also prohibited imports of fruit-flavoured and carbonated drinks, processed foods, cotton yarn and its waste, plastic items, and furniture through land customs stations in Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura, and West Bengal.
The DGFT notification also states that these restrictions will not apply to Bangladeshi exports transiting through India to Nepal and Bhutan. Nonetheless, any re-export of such goods from Nepal and Bhutan back into India will not be allowed.
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