By AKM Moinuddin
Dhaka, Apr 22 (UNB) – Dhaka is eyeing for meaningful settlement of a number of issues with New Delhi including duty-free access of 61 Bangladesh products to the Indian market during the visit of Indian Commerce Minister Anand Sharma.
Indian Commerce Minister Anand Sharma arrives here tomorrow (Saturday) on a two-day visit to strengthen economic ties between the two close neighbors.
During the visit, Sharma is scheduled to have meetings with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Commerce Minister Faruk Khan.
He is also likely to attend a luncheon program to be hosted by Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI).
“During the discussion, we’ll give priority to six issues including seeking more duty-free access of Bangladesh products to Indian market,” Commerce Minister Faruk Khan told UNB Staff Correspondent AKM Moinuddin over phone on Friday.
He said the discussion would highlight issues relating to increasing the cotton import quota for ensuring cotton security in Bangladesh, withdrawal of tax imposed on some Bangladeshi jute goods, finalization of opening border `haat’ (market) and implementation of certification of Bangladesh goods by India.
“We’ll discuss and try to finalize the opening date of border `haat’ (market),” Khan said in reply to a question.
The planned border `haat’, common marketplaces for both Bangladeshis and Indians to boost local business and trade, remained unimplemented even after 14 months since the two countries agreed on its introduction.
Several deadlines mentioned by the government have already expired and bureaucratic tangles in both the countries have been blamed for the long delay in opening the border markets.
Dhaka will also discuss removal of non-tariff and para-tariff barriers, often imposed by Indian customs authorities on Bangladesh products.
At present, Bangladesh enjoy duty-free access of only 8.0 million pieces of readymade garment (RMG) products each year under a bilateral trade arrangement between the two countries. For the interim period, the Indian government agreed to allow Bangladesh to duty-free export of 8 million pieces of garment products in 2011.
“We’ll demand increase of the quota until the implementation of more duty-free access of Bangladesh products to Indian market,” Faruk Khan said.
The export will be unlimited once Dhaka’s demand for delisting 61 products from India’s negative list is realized. Dhaka has long been pursuing India to allow 61 Bangladesh items in her market under duty-free facility.
Currently 480 items are on India’s negative list. Last year, Dhaka demanded to remove 61 products, mostly textile items (47), from the negative list.
Bangladesh will also seek increasing the volume of cotton import from India. “We’ll seek an import quota of 20 lakh bales of cotton from India to ensure cotton security in the country,” Khan said.
Bangladesh usually import 55 lakh bales of cotton from international market every year with major import from Uzbekistan 40 lakh bales, 10 lakh bales from India and 5 lakh bales from other countries.
END/UNB/AKM/
