Indo-Bangla JWG meet begins tomorrow
Sunday, 4 November 2007
M Azizur Rahman
The fifth meeting of the Joint Working Group (JWG) on trade between Bangladesh and India kicks off tomorrow (Monday) in Dhaka aimed at augmenting bilateral trade between these two countries.
The commerce ministry sources said Bangladesh will request India to withdraw its export ban on essential commodities especially rice, pulse and onion during the two-day meeting to cool down the country's overheated commodities market.
Both the countries will discuss a wide range of issues including non-tariff and para-tariff barriers, customs, ports and border trade to help augment bilateral trade during the JWG meeting on November 5-6 next.
During the meeting Bangladesh will urge its Indian counterpart to remove non-tariff barriers to the Bangladeshi products like betel nuts, Jamdani sarees, dry cell batteries and toiletries products.
The country will also seek Indian recognition of the quality certificates issued by Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) to facilitate exporting products into the Indian market.
It will seek Indian cooperation regarding selling of Bangladeshi products at trade fairs and exhibitions held in India.
Bangladesh will also seek necessary changes to facilitate export of pharmaceutical products to the Indian market.
The country will urge its Indian counterpart to improve infrastructure facilities at land customs stations and seek entry of its trucks carrying export items inside the Indian territory in the border area.
Currently Indian trucks can enter half-a-kilometer into Bangladeshi territory from the border.
Opening of new land customs stations in the bordering areas and increasing banking facilities will also be discussed to increase cross-border trading.
Sources from the commerce ministry said India is the second largest trading partner of Bangladesh next to China in terms of both import and export.
Currently, Bangladesh imports Indian products worth about US$2.0 billion a year while exports less than $300 million to India.
India in the latest South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit held in New Delhi in April 2007 pledged to provide duty-free access to products from the least developed countries (LDCs) including Bangladesh by 2007.
Bangladesh might inquire about the latest status on the Indian pledge on the duty-free access of LDCs products to the Indian market during JWG meeting, sources added.
The fifth meeting of the Joint Working Group (JWG) on trade between Bangladesh and India kicks off tomorrow (Monday) in Dhaka aimed at augmenting bilateral trade between these two countries.
The commerce ministry sources said Bangladesh will request India to withdraw its export ban on essential commodities especially rice, pulse and onion during the two-day meeting to cool down the country's overheated commodities market.
Both the countries will discuss a wide range of issues including non-tariff and para-tariff barriers, customs, ports and border trade to help augment bilateral trade during the JWG meeting on November 5-6 next.
During the meeting Bangladesh will urge its Indian counterpart to remove non-tariff barriers to the Bangladeshi products like betel nuts, Jamdani sarees, dry cell batteries and toiletries products.
The country will also seek Indian recognition of the quality certificates issued by Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) to facilitate exporting products into the Indian market.
It will seek Indian cooperation regarding selling of Bangladeshi products at trade fairs and exhibitions held in India.
Bangladesh will also seek necessary changes to facilitate export of pharmaceutical products to the Indian market.
The country will urge its Indian counterpart to improve infrastructure facilities at land customs stations and seek entry of its trucks carrying export items inside the Indian territory in the border area.
Currently Indian trucks can enter half-a-kilometer into Bangladeshi territory from the border.
Opening of new land customs stations in the bordering areas and increasing banking facilities will also be discussed to increase cross-border trading.
Sources from the commerce ministry said India is the second largest trading partner of Bangladesh next to China in terms of both import and export.
Currently, Bangladesh imports Indian products worth about US$2.0 billion a year while exports less than $300 million to India.
India in the latest South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit held in New Delhi in April 2007 pledged to provide duty-free access to products from the least developed countries (LDCs) including Bangladesh by 2007.
Bangladesh might inquire about the latest status on the Indian pledge on the duty-free access of LDCs products to the Indian market during JWG meeting, sources added.