India-Bangladesh Trade: Relations between India and Bangladesh have soured due to the extradition of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the death of student leader Sharif Ustan Hadi and the continuous atrocities on Hindus. Currently, political crisis and domestic unrest are at its peak in Bangladesh under the government of Muhammad Yunus. Meanwhile, anti-India slogans are being raised in Bangladesh, threats are being made to separate the northeastern states ‘Seven Sisters’ from India.
However, during this period, the strong trade relations between the two countries cannot be denied. Both the countries transact goods with each other. In particular, Bangladesh’s dependence on Indian goods is much higher. Let us see on which Indian goods the people raising slogans against India in Bangladesh depend?
Bangladesh is ‘India locked’ country
First of all, considering the geographical location of Bangladesh, its relationship with India becomes very important. Bangladesh is surrounded by India on all sides, hence it is called ‘India Locked’ country. This is because there is a 4367 km long border between India and Bangladesh and this is 94 percent of the international border of Bangladesh. That means 94 percent of Bangladesh’s border is with India. In such a situation, its business with India becomes quite easy. On top of this, a large number of people from Bangladesh keep coming to India for work in various cities of India and for better treatment. Apart from this, Bangladesh is also highly dependent on India for daily food items. Let us see what Bangladesh imports from India:-
Rice
Bangladesh buys rice from India on a large scale. Rice is the third largest item exported from India. Apart from Basmati, Bangladesh buys many other different varieties of rice from India. Meanwhile, it has also come to light that Bangladesh is purchasing a total of 100,000 tonnes of rice from India and Pakistan. According to the report of Daily Star, the Food Ministry of Bangladesh is going to buy 50,000 tonnes of non-Basmati rice from India’s M/S Pattabhi Agro Foods Private Limited at the rate of $ 355.77 per tonne.
Sugar
Bangladesh buys not only rice but also sugar from India. Along with India, Bangladesh also sources sugar from Brazil, Thailand and even Pakistan because its production capacity here is limited according to the demand. In Bangladesh, domestic refiners like Meghna Group, Citi Group and Vasundhara Group import raw sugar from India and refine it and then the goods go to the markets.
potato-onion
India is also a big supplier of potatoes and onions to Bangladesh. In the business year 2023-24, India sent about 7.24 lakh tonnes of onions to Bangladesh. At the same time, 3.5 lakh tonnes of potatoes were exported in 2022-23. In such a situation, Bangladesh’s idle talk of boycotting India or Indian goods may prove costly.
spices
Bangladesh is also a big importer of other grains and spices. Many spices like chilli, turmeric, cumin, ginger are sent from India to Bangladesh. Apart from this, India also plays an important role in the food security of Bangladesh because Bangladesh is dependent on India for onion, potato, ginger, garlic and many other types of vegetables and fresh fruits.
medicines
Medicines for the treatment of various diseases are also sent from India. Many generic medicines ranging from anti-diabetic to paracetamol, vitamin C tablets, omeprazole are also sent from India to Bangladesh. Apart from this, India also supplies life saving drugs and API to Bangladesh.
textile
Bangladesh is the second largest exporter of readymade garments. To run it, it requires threads, which are imported from India. This thread is the backbone of the readymade garments industry of Bangladesh, on which the livelihood of many people depends. Not only this, India is also a big market for Bangladeshi clothes. In such a situation, if the bitter relationship between the two countries impacts this industry of Bangladesh, it will be a big blow to the economy there, which is already under pressure.
Oil
Bangladesh also imports oil and petroleum products from India. Bangladesh fulfills its energy needs by importing oil and fuel from India. A 131 km long gas pipeline is laid from Numaligarh in Assam to Parvatipur in Bangladesh, through which 1 million metric tons of high-speed diesel is supplied annually. Apart from this, India also has a contract for refined crude oil with Numaligarh Refinery Limited of Bangladesh. Bangladesh also buys many types of chemicals from India.
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