RoydadNaft –  India imposed curbs on imports of ready-made garments and processed food from Bangladesh, as relations between the two neighbors turned sour in recent months.

Shipments of “all kinds of ready-made garments from Bangladesh shall not be allowed from any land port,” the trade ministry said in a statement Saturday, without giving a reason for its decision that came into effect immediately.

The restrictions also apply to imports of cotton, fruits, some plastic goods and wooden furniture at certain ports.

The move comes as tension between India and its eastern neighbor increased following the ouster of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from power last year. India has been sheltering Hasina since she fled Dhaka in August and remains non-committal on Bangladesh’s demand for her extradition.

A strain in relationship with India is pushing Bangladesh closer to China and other East Asian economies. The land port restrictions may further affect the ties between the two nations as India was Bangladesh’s third-biggest trading partner in 2024. This may affect goods worth around $770 million, amounting to nearly 42% of Bangladesh’s exports to India, the Economic Times reported, citing data from the Global Trade Research Initiative.

The restrictions announced Saturday don’t apply to imports through Nhava Sheva and Kolkata seaports, and Bangladesh’s exports to Nepal and Bhutan transiting via India. Imports of fish, liquefied petroleum gas, edible oil, and crushed stone from Bangladesh have also been exempted from the curbs.

Sending goods through land routes to India take three days, while the sea routes will take two weeks, Bangladesh’s Prothom Alo newspaper reported, signaling a hit to the nation’s exports from India’s sudden move.