by RK Desk
August 13, 2026
Teknaf, Bangladesh — Border trade between Bangladesh and Myanmar’s Arakan State has resumed after a prolonged suspension, but high costs, administrative restrictions and continuing security uncertainty are preventing it from returning to earlier levels.
Trade through Teknaf Land Port and Kanyin Chaung Jetty in Maungdaw restarted in May, after being disrupted for more than a year by fighting between the Myanmar junta and the Arakan Army (AA). The resumption has created new opportunities for traders and port workers, while offering a possible supply route for communities facing shortages in northern Arakan.
However, a recent report by the Development Media Group (DMG) said that ordinary traders in Maungdaw are finding it difficult to participate in the formal trade system. One trader claimed that taxes and related charges could reach nearly half the purchase value of some goods. Rohingya Khobor could not independently verify that figure or establish which specific duties and charges were included.
The report also said formal trading opportunities on the Arakan side were largely controlled through merchant associations overseen by the United League of Arakan (ULA), the political wing of the AA. Smaller traders reportedly depend on informal border routes to transport clothing, packaged food, cosmetics and other goods.
Bangladesh formally conducts cross-border trade under agreements with the Myanmar state. The changing territorial situation has complicated that framework, as the AA now exercises de facto control over most of the Myanmar side of the Bangladesh border. Bangladesh has maintained that it communicates with both Myanmar authorities and the AA where necessary to manage border security and trade-related problems.
Official figures show how sharply trade has declined. Goods worth approximately Tk 1,545 crore were imported through Teknaf in the 2022–23 fiscal year, but imports fell to around Tk 808 crore in 2023–24. By June 2026, trade through the port was reportedly operating at only around 10 percent of its earlier level.
For communities in northern Arakan, the issue extends beyond commercial profit. Conflict and restrictions on transport from other parts of Myanmar have increased dependence on supplies entering through Bangladesh and India. A predictable and properly regulated trade route could improve access to food and other essential goods while generating revenue and employment in Teknaf.
Any expansion, however, would require clearer customs procedures, security guarantees for vessels and traders, transparent charges on both sides, and access that is not restricted to a small group of politically connected businesses. It would also need safeguards against arms, narcotics and human trafficking.
Border trade cannot resolve the political crisis in Arakan. But a transparent and carefully regulated system could protect civilian access to essential goods without requiring Bangladesh to compromise its laws, border security or formal diplomatic position.
