Indian Coal Imported After Long Hiatus, Priced Higher Than Indonesian Coal 

After a long hiatus, coal imports from India have resumed, bringing relief to the dormant trade activities at the Goborakura and Koraitli land ports in Mymensing’s Haluaighat. On the afternoon of December 4, eight trucks carrying coal entered Bangladesh through these ports.

Confirming the development, Partha Ghosh, Assistant Director in charge of both Koraitli and Goborakura ports, explained that Indian coal is of higher quality than Indonesian coal, which is why it comes at a higher price. Due to the lower price of Indonesian coal, local coal traders in Haluaighat had been reluctant to import coal from India, leading to a complete halt in imports after just 964 tons were brought in last April. This resulted in stagnation at the ports.

However, with the peak coal season underway, and the anticipation of high sales, a total of 96 tons of coal, transported by two trucks through Koraitli and six through Goborakura, has been imported. Ghosh stated that the resumption of coal imports has helped revive the trade at these ports, and the imports will continue as long as there is demand from the traders.

Port traders revealed that last year, coal was purchased from India at 22,000 taka per ton, while Indonesian coal was priced at 16,500 taka per ton. Due to the higher price of Indian coal, local traders ceased imports, and only one instance of coal import occurred last year. This led to financial losses for traders and unemployment for approximately 4,500 workers who depend on the land port operations.

Coal imports through the Koraitli port began in 1979 during the regime of President Ziaur Rahman, and Goborakura port followed suit in 1997. Both ports were officially inaugurated on September 15, 2012. However, internal disputes between Indian exporters and traders, along with lawsuits from Indian environmentalists, halted coal exports from India. As a result, between 2017 and 2022, 39,000 tons of coal was stranded, leaving 360 traders with 372 letters of credit (LCs) unpaid. In March last year, both ports were declared fully operational land ports.

Ashok Sarker Apu, General Secretary of the Koraitli and Goborakura Import-Export Group, stated that the long suspension of coal imports had significantly harmed both traders and workers. With the current coal season in full swing, he pointed out that while the price of Indian coal has not decreased, there is still demand from buyers, prompting the resumption of imports.

He further added that if profits do not materialize, coal imports could halt again, though he expressed hope that such a situation would not arise.