Exports through Bangladesh’s land ports fell sharply last fiscal year even as imports kept rising, figures presented to a parliamentary committee show.
The trade gap in numbers
| Fiscal year | Imports (tonnes) | Exports (tonnes) |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 1,52,86,606 | 12,72,328 |
| 2025-26 | 1,64,12,547 | 9,65,189 |
| 2026-27 (first 3 months) | 39,86,223 | 3,15,338 |
That means export volumes dropped by about a quarter in 2025-26, while imports grew by more than 7%. The country currently has 17 operational land ports.
Committee wants the fine print
Members of the parliamentary standing committee, chaired by Joynul Abedin Faruk, discussed the widening trade gap with India and asked for the details of existing land port trade agreements to be presented at their next meeting.
Land ports such as Benapole handle a large share of Bangladesh’s overland trade with India, making them an important complement to the country’s seaports.
Translated and rewritten from reporting by Prothom Alo (Bangla), 1 November 2026.
Photo: Representative image of the Benapole–Petrapole road (2015). Biswarup Ganguly / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
