Bangladesh
Bangladesh-India Bangladesh-India trade: Another waterway is opening
Dhaka, 11th February 2024 : Goods were transported from Murshidabad in India to Godagari in Bangladesh before independence. At that time jute and fish were sent from East Bengal.
Various products came from India. After 59 years, trade is starting again on this waterway. Under the naval protocol agreement, the Sultanganj seaport of Rajshahi's Godagari upazila is being officially launched on February 12. As a result, opportunities for trade are opening between Bangladesh and India.
It is known that the trade between Sultanganj-Maya and Godagari-Lalgola in India continued until the Indo-Pakistani war in 1965, which was stopped during the war. After all these years, the Ministry of Shipping and the Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) have finalized the opening of the Sultanganj River Port under the Naval Protocol Agreement.
This route is being launched in the Padma-Mahananda estuary of Bangladesh. Currently, five ships will come through this route every day. It will be extended later. The distance on this route is only 17 km. So the cost will also decrease.
According to the information of BIWTA, in the meeting of the Ministry of Shipping, it was decided to start trade on the Sultanganj in Rajshahi and Dhulian in West Bengal, India.
A 78-km waterway from Rajshahi to Dhulian in Murshidabad, West Bengal, India was sanctioned but not implemented due to the Padma naval crisis.
As a result, the route will be shortened from Sultanganj in Rajshahi's Godagari to the Maya port in Murshidabad, India by crossing the Padma river for 20 km. When the Sultanganj seaport becomes operational, international trade will start with the Maya seaport of Sagardighi police station in Murshidabad district of West Bengal, India.
