Mongla Export Processing Zone (EPZ)-based exporters yesterday said Indian customs authorities have imposed non-tariff barriers on Bangladeshi processed betel nut, violating Sapta (South Asian Preferential Trading Arrangement) agreement.
They said the Indian customs officials demand 100 percent duty for betel nut products, hampering Bangladesh's export to India.
"Due to imposition of the sudden duty on some 600 tons of betel nut remain stranded at Petrapole land port for one month," Sheikh Borhan Uddin, general manager of Golden Agro Products, told a press conference in Dhaka.
The exporters urged the government to initiate bilateral negotiations with Indian authorities to remove the non-tariff barriers.
Rumpa Chakravarty, managing director of Bangladesh Betelnut Growers & Processors Pvt Ltd, and Touhidur Raman, general manager of Deximco, were also present at the press conference.
The exporters said they already invested around Tk 50 crore in the industry, employing more than 1,000 workers.
Mognla EPZ exporters earn around US$2.0 million annually through export.
