CHITTAGONG, Mar 3: Bangladesh and Pakistan can better grow their business to mutual benefit through shipping operation between Chittagong Port and Karachi Port.
Both countries can also draw more benefits from Pakistan's cotton supply at competitive prices as Bangladesh RMG sector needs a huge quantity of cotton annually.
The views were expressed at the meeting of Commercial Counselor of the High Commission of Pakistan Ms Farah Farooq with president and directors of Chittagong Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry at the CMCCI conference hall in the port city.
Directors and president of the CMCCI accorded warm reception Sunday to the Commercial Counselor as she arrived at the Chamber in the afternoon. CMCCI president Khalilur Rahman presided over the meeting while the vice presidents and directors addressed it.
Ms Farah Farooq said that both Bangladesh and Pakistan enjoy a very good relationship and are engaged in a broad range of mutually beneficial partnership while the bilateral trade registered a healthy growth.
"Bangladesh has improved immensely in the readymade garment sector over the last decade and attained competence in the same. We can have greater bondage in the textile, hospitality and a lot of other sectors," she said while addressing the directors and business elite.
Ms Farah said both the countries have two major ports - Chittagong Port and Karachi Port. Shipping operations between the two countries will immensely benefit, she said as the directors of the CMCCI put emphasis on the shipping link.
"We had a close relationship in the past. This is time we get together. Now is the time we should come closer. Not that it would be only in the case of Bangladesh, but also in the case of Chittagong," she observed.
Reciprocal visits by the business delegations of both the countries, apart from those in the government to government ones, will further facilitate the growth of the partnership, she added.
Khalilur Rahman said Bangladesh needs a huge quantity of cotton which is abundantly produced in Pakistan. "We can buy more cotton from Pakistan for our garment sector. The commercial counselor can also help in arranging a good stock of cotton in Chittagong for a short period which will facilitate production in our garment factories.
Vice president Md Abdul Awal said the big nations in the world have huge potentials but small nations like us have to build up trade between them and grow up further. Otherwise they will be far away from becoming economic tigers.
Vice president Alihussein Akbarali and director Jashim U Ahmed stressed on the shipping link between the two countries. The shipping operation should start at the earliest and the governments and concerned departments should come up with the decision for mutual benefit of both the countries.
Vice president of the CMCCI AM Mahbub Chowdhury said both Bangladesh and Pakistan are developing nations. Pakistan is very rich in textile and cotton. "We import cotton from China. But Pakistan can export cotton and textile to Bangladeshi garment factories," he said adding that Pakistan can export huge quantity of wheat to Bangladesh. Md Mohsin, Managing Director of Saad Musa Industrial Park attended the meeting.
Earlier on the day, Ms Farah Farooq visited the Saad Musa Industrial Park at Anwara on the south bank of the Karnaphuli River. The commercial envoy of Pakistan is on a five-day visit to Chittagong from March 2.
