Dhaka, Delhi likely to ink deal on standardisation certifications

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Nazmul Ahsan
Dhaka and New Delhi is likely to strike a deal to recognise the standarisation certificates of each other for both goods and services during the upcoming visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India next month, sources in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said.
The draft of the proposed agreement, styled, 'Bilateral Cooperation Agreement between the Bangladesh Standard and Testing Institute (BSTI) and the Bureau of India Standard (BIS),' has recently been sent from the Indian High Commission in Dhaka to the MoFA, sources said.
The foreign and industries ministries are now scrutinising the draft to finalise the Bangladesh position before inking the deal.
According to the draft agreement, both the BSTI and the BIS or laboratories under the institutions must be accrediated either by Asia Pacific Laboratory Cooperation or by the International Laboratory Accrediation Cooperation.
Both the international bodies are meant to develop and harmonise laboratory and inspection accreditation practices, promote laboratory and inspection accreditation to industry, governments, regulators and consumers and assist and support developing accreditation systems, officials said.
Both the parties (BSTI and BIS) will authorise each other to carry out pre-certification and certification of goods and services to be exported to countries of each other, an official in the Ministry of Industries (MoI) said.
'Both BSTI and BIS will recognise the certification on standardisation of goods and services if the proposed agreement between the two institutions is signed,' a top official in the MoI told the FE.
"The non-tariff barriers generally imposed on products originating from Bangladesh to India, will be reduced to a great extent if mutual recognition on standarisation certificate is established,'' he added.
The agreement will be signed for a period of three years, said the draft.
The BIS authority will impart trainings to officials of BSTI on standarisation, quality assurance and testing matters under the proposed agreement, officials said.
''We have to upgrade the overall testing facilities of both BSTI and Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research soon after the agreement is signed,' an official concerned said.
The up-gradation of local testing laboratories would be required to get those accredited with global reputed testing body, which is also an integral part of the proposed agreement, he added.
The BSTI and BIS signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in June, 2007 to extend cooperation to each other for the purpose of mutual recognition of tersting certificates.
However, little has so far been achieved towards recognising the mutual standarisation certificate after signing the MOU more two years back as India showed no interest for further development towards the end, alleged an official in the MoI.
Sources in the MoFA said, they want some export potential items be included in the draft agreement so that first track recognition on these items are given by India.
The number of such items could be around 10 including food products, cosmetics, and leather and textile products, hinted a commerce ministry official.
The two-way trade balance was $968.71 million in favour of India in the 2001-02 fiscal year, when Bangladesh exported goods worth $50.19 million to India against her imports of $1.01 billion. The gap increased to $3.03 billion in 2007-08.
Bangladesh exports about Tk 1.50 billion worth of processed food and bakery items annually to India, which might be increased manifold if non-tariff barrier like mandatory certification from BIS, which often takes more than a week to issue certificate, is lifted and certificate of BSTI is accepted, exporters said.
They said India should be true to its commitment for the sake of friendly relations with its close neighbour-Bangladesh.