Assam: Dibrugarh's river trade returns after 70 years, first cargo heads to Bangladesh
Dibrugarh has resumed international river trade for the first time in 70 years, with a barge carrying methanol departing for Bangladesh. This initiative aims to establish the Brahmaputra as a viable commercial freight corridor for the Northeast.
Why it matters
Reviving river trade routes significantly enhances regional connectivity and economic integration between India's Northeast and international markets.
Dibrugarh on Monday resumed international river trade after nearly seven decades, with Union Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal flagging off a barge carrying 540 metric tonnes of methanol from Bogibeel Terminal to Dhaka, marking the first cargo shipment from upper Assam to a foreign port since Independence.The methanol, produced by state-owned Assam Petro-Chemicals Ltd (APCL) at Namrup, will travel around 768 km along National Waterway-2 on the Brahmaputra before reaching the India-Bangladesh border and continuing through the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route. The voyage from Bogibeel to Narayanganj in Bangladesh will cover around 1,300 km.The shipment is being seen as a test of the Brahmaputra's potential as a commercially viable freight corridor connecting the Northeast with overseas markets.
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