Arakan-Bangladesh border trade hobbles back to its feet

By DMG 25 Oct 2021

DMG Newsroom
25 October 2021, Sittwe 

The Sittwe border trade centre in Arakan State has exported about 300 tonnes of goods a day to Bangladesh in recent days, reviving its once bustling trans-borner commerce arrangement even as pandemic fears persist. 

Currently, tamarind seeds, rohu, plum jam, fresh ginger and onion are mainly traded to Bangladesh through the Sittwe border trading centre. 

“The export volume before COVID-19 spread and the current volume is not much different. The trade flow is as regular,” an official of the Sittwe border trade centre told DMG. 

An official of Hla Nyi Tun company said the company exports a small amount of goods at the moment because commodities prices are lower in Bangladesh. 

“Since the number of traders exporting goods to Bangladesh is higher, the price of goods is lower there. So, we do not export goods at the same volume as we previously did,” the company official said. 

Meanwhile, the Maungdaw border trade centre exports rohu, plum jam, betel nut, dried fish, textile, instant noodle, cosmetics and coffee mix to Bangladesh. 

The Maungdaw border trade centre resumed trading on October 20. 

The two border trade centres had been suspended since July 15 due to the third wave of Covid-19 under the instruction of the state’s regime council. 

The border trade centres were allowed to reopen on October 13, about three months after the suspension.