Bangladesh, India to Set up 16 Border Haats to Expand Trade

In order to increase trade between the two countries, Bangladesh and India are considering constructing 16 additional border haats, according to a senior official in the Indian foreign ministry.

West Bengal and Mizoram will be the locations of the new border haats, whose construction is now under discussion. According to Smita Pant, a senior diplomat in the Ministry of External Affairs, new border haats might reduce cross-border informal trade while giving border communities access to markets and economic opportunities. 

According to Pant, there are currently eight haats operating in a number of northeastern Indian states, including Tripura and Meghalaya. 

To increase connection, the two nations have increased infrastructure projects, with Japan helping to subsidize certain programs.

Additionally, it is anticipated that the opening of Bangladesh's Matabari Port by 2027 will make it simpler for commodities to go from India to Bangladesh and then on to Asian markets.

In order to draw manufacturing to Bangladesh and India's Northeast, the three nations are collaborating on the "Bay of Bengal Northeast Industrial Value Chain Concept."