Bangladesh and Nepal are set to step up efforts to deepen trade, transit, and connectivity cooperation, as senior officials meet today in Dhaka for the 8th Bangladesh-Nepal Commerce Secretary-Level Meeting (CSLM), sources said.
The meeting will review progress since the 7th CSLM in Kathmandu in April 2024 and outline a roadmap to expand trade, investment, and logistics cooperation amid changing regional and global trade dynamics.
The meeting is scheduled to conclude on January 14. It will focus on boosting trade, transit, and connectivity.
A key agenda is the preferential trade agreement (PTA) to reduce tariffs, para-tariffs, and non-tariff barriers, alongside enhanced market access and simplified cross-border payments.
Cooperation on sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures and technical barriers to trade (TBT) will also be reviewed, including the implementation of MoUs between the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) and Nepal's Department of Food Technology and Quality Control, as well as the Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology, to ease technical barriers and border clearance, according to a document.
Trade facilitation and connectivity will dominate discussions, with proposals for integrated check posts (ICPs), inland container depots (ICDs), testing labs at Banglabandha, improved railway connectivity, harmonised customs procedures, insurance and road standards, and a proposed customs mutual assistance agreement (CMAA).
Transit routes through Bangladesh, inland waterways, and tripartite cooperation with India will also be explored.
Officials will discuss LDC graduation experience, tourism, air connectivity, investment facilitation, visa simplification, and scheduling the next CSLM.
The meeting aims to set concrete timelines to translate policy talks into actionable outcomes, strengthening Bangladesh-Nepal economic ties. Both countries are set to graduate from least developed country (LDC) status in 2026.
According to the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) and the Nepal Department of Customs (updated January 2026), bilateral trade between Bangladesh and Nepal is approximately $45-55 million (equivalent to roughly NPR 5.84 billion).
The Bangladesh-Nepal PTA, signed on December 6, 2020 and implemented on July 1, 2022, is Bangladesh's first-ever PTA, as the country does not currently have any free trade agreements (FTAs).
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