Wildfire in Bangladesh, India — Green alert

Supply-chain Risk Briefing

1. Summary

Forest fires occurred in the Bangladesh-India border region for 5 consecutive days from April 10 to 15. Classified as medium-level by GDACS, these fires affected forested areas near the border between both countries and posed high spread risks due to occurring during the dry season.

2. Supply-chain impact

• Agricultural commodity risks — The Bangladesh-India border region is a major production area for rice, tea, jute and other key crops, with fire smoke and air quality deterioration potentially negatively impacting crop growth in nearby agricultural areas
• Textile raw material supply concerns — This region has active cotton and jute cultivation, with soil contamination and air environment deterioration from fires potentially affecting textile raw material quality and harvest yields
• Logistics infrastructure disruptions — Road and rail transport near the border was likely temporarily restricted, with short-term delays expected in overland trade flows between both countries
• Manufacturing impact from air quality deterioration — If fire smoke spreads to nearby industrial complexes, concerns over reduced manufacturing facility operation rates and decreased productivity due to worker health issues

3. Watch points

• Follow-up fire occurrence — Need to track the possibility of additional wildfire spread due to continued dry season and changing weather conditions such as strong winds, and monitor fire suppression completion status
• Agricultural production changes — Need to monitor production volume and quality indicators for major crops (rice, tea, jute) in the region over the next 2-3 months to assess supply-chain ripple effects