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A Bhutanese business delegation visited the Sonahat land port in Bhurungamari upazila of Kurigram on Wednesday (September 2) to assess its connectivity, distance and potential for transporting goods to and from the proposed Bhutanese Special Economic Zone in the district.
The delegation included Kelden Dorji, deputy director for international and strategic affairs at GMC; Associate Director Nim Elham; and Dawa Tshering, minister-counsellor for trade at the Royal Bhutanese Embassy, along with other officials.
Representatives from the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA), Bhurungamari Upazila Nirbahi Officer Amrit Deb Nath, Assistant Commissioner (Land) Aminul Islam Tarek, Bhurungamari Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Azim Uddin, and Sonahat Land Port Importers and Exporters Association President Abul Hossain Bepari and General Secretary Lecturer Shahidul Islam Akand were also present.
The delegation inspected the port’s infrastructure, import-export operations and facilities for transporting goods. They also gathered information on road connectivity, distance and the potential movement of goods between the port and the proposed economic zone.
Earlier in the day, the delegation visited Chilmari river port as part of an assessment of the potential for transporting goods by both road and waterways.
The visits come as Bangladesh and Bhutan move forward with plans to establish a special economic zone for Bhutan in Kurigram following an agreement between the two governments. In March 2024, Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and the country’s ambassador visited the proposed site of the economic zone.
Officials said the proposed economic zone could boost trade links between Bhutan and Kurigram as well as other parts of northern Bangladesh. It could also increase the volume of goods transported through the Sonahat land port and Chilmari river port.
However, they stressed that developing the necessary infrastructure, improving road connectivity and ensuring adequate trade facilities will be crucial to establishing an effective link between the proposed economic zone and Sonahat land port.