Tons of essential food items, including fruits and vegetables, which are to be exported to Bangladesh, have been stuck at the border in Mahadipur in West Bengal as the nationwide lockdown has led to suspension of cross-border trade. The trucks contain maize, onions and around 3,000 tons of fruits, chillies and ginger.
"Around 3,500 vehicles are currently stranded near Mahadipur Land Customs station and at different godowns since Mar 23 as export-import activities at the port have been suspended following instructions from the union and state governments," Prasenjit Ghosh, general secretary, Mahadipur Exporters Association, said.
"We are urging the government to allow us to export the shipments as the commodities are already here. Many of these commodities are perishable and if they get spoilt it will be a huge loss for exporters," Ghosh said.
Trade with Bangladesh has come to a standstill after India announced a lockdown till Apr 14 to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Traders said that around 500 trucks pass through the land port at Mahadipur every day with export items. Mahadipur is one of the important land ports in West Bengal for exports to Bangladesh.
Source: cogencis.com