Bangladesh will make efforts to persuade Myanmar to establish a coastal shipping line during the commerce secretary level meeting in the latter's capital Naypyidaw next month, officials said.
The meeting is expected to be held in the second week of November.
Besides, the two sides will also discuss issues on trade and banking, they added.
A coastal shipping line will help Bangladesh send readymade garments to Myanmar, according to business circles.
Now Myanmar's customers buy garment items made in Bangladesh from Thailand.
"We will discuss with our Myanmar counterpart issues on coastal shipping, trade and banking issues during the next month's meeting in Myanmar," senior secretary of the ministry of commerce (MoC) Hedayetullah Al Mamoon told the FE.
The coastal shipping line between Bangladesh and Myanmar was supposed to be launched much earlier, but this was not possible because of political tension in the bordering areas in recent years.
Myanmar is rich in wood. Once the coastal shipping line is in place, Bangladesh can import it from that country to meet the demand of the local furniture sector.
Bangladesh will also discuss other topics like banking transactions as Myanmar's commercial banks have already opened the Asian Clearing Union (ACU) accounts with correspondent banks from the Bangladesh side, according to a report of the seventh joint commission meeting held in Myanmar in 2014.
Bangladesh will also discuss import of hydroelectric power from Myanmar and cooperation in areas of oil, gas and mineral resources between the two countries.
Bangladesh wants to import food grains from Myanmar, while the latter has demanded tax reduction on its export of betel nuts, dried and salted fish as it has a lot of stock of those goods for export, according to the report.
The government is examining signing of Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) with Myanmar to expand market for Bangladeshi products, according to the MoC.
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