Barriers to trade, transit and FTA to figure prominently
Monday, 10 August 2009
Nazmul Ahsan
Bilateral issues involving barriers to trade, transit and free trade area are expected to figure prominently in the three-day Bangladesh -India Joint Working Group (JWG) meeting scheduled to begin in New Delhi from August 27 next, sources said.
Dhaka, according to sources, would primarily focus on the increase of Bangladesh exports to Indian market through the elimination of non-tariff and para tariff barriers that are often imposed by the Indian authorities.
''Increasing our export volume to India will be on the top of our agenda at the 6th JWG meeting," Firoz Ahmed, Commerce Secretary, told the FE on Sunday.
''It is very unlikely that our export to India will increase if India does not remove the non-tariff and para-tariff barriers", he said
He said Dhaka would propose to New Delhi for holding a commerce secretary- level meeting between the two countries in the event of no fruitful results on the tariff-barrier issue at the JWG meeting.
Foreign office sources said the India has been pushing for a consensus on the initiation of talks between the two countries on transit and FTA at the upcoming meeting of the JWG.
Dr. Ruhul Amin Sarker, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Commerce, will lead a six-member delegation comprising representatives from the foreign, communications and commerce ministries and the National Board of Revenue to the JWG meeting.
Meanwhile, the commerce ministry has convened an inter-ministerial meeting, to be held tomorrow (Tuesday) to take input from different ministries and the private sector relating to India-Bangladesh trade, sources said.
"Members of different government agencies, who are also members of Core Group, established earlier to solve bilateral problems with India, are likely to attend the meeting in the commerce ministry," a ministry official told the FE.
He said the ministry has recently prepared a list of trade barriers affecting Bangladesh's export to India.
Bilateral issues involving barriers to trade, transit and free trade area are expected to figure prominently in the three-day Bangladesh -India Joint Working Group (JWG) meeting scheduled to begin in New Delhi from August 27 next, sources said.
Dhaka, according to sources, would primarily focus on the increase of Bangladesh exports to Indian market through the elimination of non-tariff and para tariff barriers that are often imposed by the Indian authorities.
''Increasing our export volume to India will be on the top of our agenda at the 6th JWG meeting," Firoz Ahmed, Commerce Secretary, told the FE on Sunday.
''It is very unlikely that our export to India will increase if India does not remove the non-tariff and para-tariff barriers", he said
He said Dhaka would propose to New Delhi for holding a commerce secretary- level meeting between the two countries in the event of no fruitful results on the tariff-barrier issue at the JWG meeting.
Foreign office sources said the India has been pushing for a consensus on the initiation of talks between the two countries on transit and FTA at the upcoming meeting of the JWG.
Dr. Ruhul Amin Sarker, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Commerce, will lead a six-member delegation comprising representatives from the foreign, communications and commerce ministries and the National Board of Revenue to the JWG meeting.
Meanwhile, the commerce ministry has convened an inter-ministerial meeting, to be held tomorrow (Tuesday) to take input from different ministries and the private sector relating to India-Bangladesh trade, sources said.
"Members of different government agencies, who are also members of Core Group, established earlier to solve bilateral problems with India, are likely to attend the meeting in the commerce ministry," a ministry official told the FE.
He said the ministry has recently prepared a list of trade barriers affecting Bangladesh's export to India.