Trade thru Benapole to get a boost for new infrastructure

The second passenger terminal building is being constructed while another cargo terminal gate is going to be erected at the Petrapole-Benapole Integrated Check Post (ICP) in order to facilitate smoother movement of goods and people between the two countries.

The Petrapole-Benapole border is a crucial gateway for trade between India and Bangladesh, with more than 70 per cent of the land-based bilateral trade going through the land port. The port has been operational since 2017.

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Given the importance of the Petrapole-Benapole ICP to the movement of passengers, a new passenger terminal building with modern amenities was inaugurated in September 2021.

A second passenger terminal building is under construction. In addition, a second cargo terminal gate is going to be constructed with grant assistance from India.

"This is expected to double the cross-border throughput of vehicles per day," said the High Commission of India in a press release yesterday.

The statement came after Pranay Verma, the high commissioner of India, met with senior officials from both countries while visiting the check post.

During the meeting, the envoy discussed various issues related to border management, trade facilitation and infrastructure development.

Verma noted the importance of the Petrapole-Benapole ICP and the efforts being made to enhance its capacity for facilitating the movement of goods and passengers.

The ongoing efforts on both sides would strengthen connectivity and trade infrastructure at the land ports and gradually decongest and facilitate smoother movement of goods and people across the border, he said.

"Our connectivity and trade infrastructure development projects with Bangladesh are based on our long-standing friendship and our shared conviction that the progress and prosperity of our two countries and two peoples are interlinked."

He also reaffirmed his country's commitment to develop partnership and cooperation with Bangladesh with a view to scaling up bilateral trade and investments and promoting people-to-people exchanges.

Bangladesh is India's largest development partner in the world and the biggest trade partner in South Asia. In the last five years, bilateral trade has grown from $7 billion to around $18 billion.

Bangladesh's exports to India crossed the $1-billion mark in the last three years, reaching nearly $2 billion in the last fiscal year of 2021-22, according to the press release.

India has emerged as the top export destination for Bangladesh in Asia.