'Request lists' for SAFTA market access finalized

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Dhaka will seek duty-free market access for its 533 items to seven South Asian countries under the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) accord, a top commerce ministry official said.
The countries along with Bangladesh are signatories to the same agreement.
The request lists will be submitted at the upcoming 6th meeting of the Committee of Experts (CoE) to be held in the capital of the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan next month.
The lists have recently been finalised by Ministry of Commerce (MoC) after scrutiny of 755 items earlier selected by Tariff Commission for exclusion from the negative lists of countries concerned, it is learnt.
According to the final request lists, duty-free facility for 61 items will be sought from India, 94 from Sri Lanka, 115 from Pakistan, 102 from Nepal, 16 from Bhutan, 77 from Afghanistan and 68 from Maldives.
The items are currently included in the negative lists of countries concerned.
Presently, the total number of 'sensitive' items on the lists of eight member countries of the SAARC is 5851. Bangladesh has put 1249 items on its own 'sensitive' list.
"We are expecting that the lists of 'sensitive' items of the SAARC member countries will be downsized as per the request lists by the next month to make the regional trade pact more meaningful." A top MoC official said.
"The trade liberalisation among SAFTA member countries will get momentum with the trimming of negative lists of member countries."
The SAFTA agreement came into effect from January 1, 2006 under which tariff concession started from July 1 of the same year.
According to the SAFTA charter, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives, which are enjoying the least developed country (LDC) status, will lower their tariff on imports from within the bloc to a level between 0 and 5 per cent by 2016, while the remaining three member countries of the agreement -- India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, having the status of 'developing' countries will do the same by 2010.
Afghanistan, another LDC, joined the regional trade liberalization programme later.
Officials in the MoC said the lists prepared by Dhaka for exclusion from the lists of 'sensitive' items of other member countries include the products which have export potential in South Asian countries.
Of 61, against which duty-free facility will be sought to India, 49 are ready-made-garment (RMG) items.
The major goods put on the list for India include edible grade soybean oil, refined palm oil/palmolein, aviation turbine fuel and fuel oil, natural rubber (smoked sheets), toilet or facial tissue stock, sanitary napkin, paper or paperboard labels of all kinds and silk fabrics.
The main RMG products are-men's or boy's trousers, women's or girl's blouses, girl's skirts and divided skirts, overalls and shorts for boys', girls' and women's, men's or boy's cotton nightshirts and pajamas, women's or girls' night dresses and cotton pajamas, swimwear for boy's, girls' and women's, tracksuits, made-up clothing accessories and brassieres of all types of textile materials.
The major items falling in the request list for Pakistan include fruits, black tea, vegetable products, RMG items, plastic bags, tableware, sanitary articles of paper, parts of electrical motors and wooden furniture.
The major items included in the list for Sri Lanka are -- potato, turmeric, potato flakes, sweet biscuits, orange juice, cement, shampoo and Portland cement.
The request list prepared for Bhutan has identified mineral water, soybean oil and wooden furniture as major items.