Bhomra land port is quieter than it used to be. Fewer goods trucks are coming and going, and the number of workers waiting for jobs has risen. Traders are dismayed by the fall in imports and exports.
Bhomra land port sits on the India-Bangladesh border just 17 kilometres from the town of Satkhira. Immediately across the border is India’s Ghojadanga land port.
On a visit to Bhomra on Sunday, Aug 9, goods trucks from India were seen entering the port one by one, with staff busy unloading, transporting and completing paperwork.
Several workers sat outside the handling workers’ office beside the port road, passing idle time as they waited for work. Azizul Islam, one of them, said: “The work situation is very bad now. On top of that the wages are low. The household cannot run on it. Many workers are leaving for work elsewhere. The imports and exports that used to happen no longer do.”
It is not only handling workers. Clearing and forwarding staff involved in the port’s trade face the same difficulty. Abu Musa, general secretary of the Bhomra C&F Agents Association, said business at the port had until recently fallen to about half its earlier level, leaving many staff without work.
Although all types of goods may be imported through Bhomra, Abu Musa said, a lack of the necessary infrastructure means many cannot be brought in through the port.
Trade down, revenue target up
The National Board of Revenue has set the port a revenue collection target of Tk23.83 billion for the 2026-27 fiscal year. Collection in July was about Tk980 million. At that rate, even 50 percent of the target will not be met by the end of the year.
According to Bhomra Custom House, its revenue target last fiscal year was Tk20.65 billion, against collection of Tk11.14 billion, a shortfall of about Tk9.51 billion.
In the 2024-25 fiscal year, 2,082,722 tonnes of goods were imported through the port. Imports fell to 1,973,047 tonnes in 2025-26, a drop of 109,675 tonnes in a year.
The fall in exports was steeper. In 2025-26, 1,780,099 tonnes of goods were exported to India through Bhomra in 19,089 trucks, earning Tk18.92 billion.
In the previous fiscal year, 2,806,000 tonnes were exported, earning Tk34.07 billion. Exports fell by 1,025,901 tonnes in a year, and export earnings by Tk15.14 billion.
What is behind it
Local traders, customs officials and others involved in import and export say the decline through Bhomra is due mainly to infrastructure problems.
Nasim Faruk Khan, president of the Satkhira Chamber of Commerce and Industries, said traders were making losses because market prices for some agricultural goods imported from India had fallen. Shortages of heavy cranes, adequate yard space and modern warehousing at the port were also obstructing the growth of trade.
Nasim Faruk Khan said that although India’s Ghojadanga port is in a much weaker position than Bhomra in infrastructure terms, there are large differences in port management and facilities for traders in the two countries, which discourages many from using the port.
Customs commissioner Mushfiqur Rahman said customs was working to improve service standards for traders, reduce harassment and ensure faster clearance of goods.
Mushfiqur Rahman also referred to a recent exchange meeting with business leaders at which traders’ problems and demands were discussed. Reasonable problems were being addressed in phases, he said.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report