Bangladesh’s betel nut exports snarl as 150 trucks sit idle at Benapole

A deepening bottleneck at the Benapole-Petrapole trade gateway has stranded about 150 export-bound trucks loaded with betel nuts worth an estimated Tk 100 crore, exposing Bangladesh’s second-largest betel-nut industry to mounting financial risk as delays stretch into a second month.

Exporters say the logjam is burning through roughly Tk 3 lakh a day in penalties and truck rental charges, with each vehicle costing around Tk 2,000 daily as it sits immobilised near the border.

The slowdown, they said, originates on the Indian side at Petrapole, where officials are allegedly dragging out quality assessments and introducing what traders describe as artificial barriers. 

The friction threatens a trade segment that has expanded sharply: Bangladesh’s share of India’s betel nut imports surged to 37% in FY2024–25 — nearly four times the levels of previous years — underscoring India’s growing reliance on higher-quality nuts from across the border.

That dependence has not shielded exporters from escalating delays. 

More than 150 trucks have remained stuck for weeks, creating a backlog and leaving drivers stranded in difficult conditions.

Shah Alam, who has been waiting with his shipment for one month and 27 days, says traders suspect Indian counterparts are intentionally slowing intake to manage domestic market prices. 

“We suspect Indian traders are deliberately delaying the intake of these trucks to control the betel nut market,” he said.

Ashraful, representing exporter Aulia Enterprise, said Petrapole officials continue to cite testing-related issues to justify the holdup.