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Business leaders urge India to remove trade barriers

Star Business Report
Top business leaders yesterday demanded India withdraw all para-tariff and nontariff barriers to deepen economic relations between the two countries.
AK Azad, president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), said Bangladesh could not exploit full benefit from the deals signed so far with India due to nontariffbarriers. "As a result, our exports did not rise to the expected level.”
The FBCCI chief urged India to take not only 61 products, but all the 480, off the sensitive list. "All the products should be delisted, which will boost two-way trade for both countries.”
His comments came during a press conference at the FBCCI office in the city, where top leaders of the leading chambers such as Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) and Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), were present.
The media brief was organised on the eve of the two-day visit of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and chief ministers of India's five north-eastern states of Assam, Tripura, Mizoram, Meghalaya and West Bengal. The visit starts tomorrow.
Azad said products certified by Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) are still being checked bythe Indian side. "We have modernised the BSTI. If the BSTI can certify all products in place of only 10 currently, the trade will go up.”
He urged India to set up laboratories on its side to speed up the products certification process. India should apply random sampling instead of checking 100 percent products and use e-mail to dispatch results, which will save time.
MCCI President Amjad Khan Chowdhury said the visit would herald a new beginning in the bilateral relationship between India and Bangladesh.
He refuted the claims that the country will be handed over to India if transit agreement is signed.
"It will be the beginning of a new chap -ter. It will also start the process of the regional agreement. Bangladesh will benefit tremendously if it can negotiate wisely,” he said.
Chowdhury, whose PRAN company has been exporting food items to India
for a decade, said there is a huge opportunity to narrow the rising trade deficit between the two countries.
“The export opportunity is huge, but there are tariff and non-tariff barriers in steps,” he said.
He said Bangladesh can exploit opportunities in India to create employment of 30 lakh people that join the country's labour force each year.
BGMEA President Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin said: "It is time to get access to India for our exports.”
He said Bangladesh must focus on readymade garments to narrow trade deficit with India, which has a local market of $28 billion.
"As a neighbouring country, we have some strategic advantages. If India buys from us then we will be able to form an important supply chain.”
BKMEA President Salim Osman said: “We import 50 percent of our raw materi-
als from India. If India buys our finished products then we will be able to double our knitwear exports.”
DCCI President Asif Ibrahim said Bangladesh's exports to India have not grown substantially although import has gone up sharply due to various barriers.
"We face different taxes in different states. Bangladesh should discuss the issue with India during the upcoming visit of Dr Manmohan Singh,” he said, adding that the issue of anti-dumping and countervailing should also come up for discussion.
Ibrahim, who also exports to India, said New Delhi has been distancing itself from protectionist mentality in the last five years. "We see a lot of changes in mindset."
He said Bangladesh should prioritise its own interest before signing transit agreement with India.
The leaders also demanded the Indian government facilitate to help withdraw
all para tariff and non-tariff barriers at the state level.
The FBCCI yesterday also endorsed the government plan to sign a transit deal with India.
The government plans to sign an agreement to allow India to use Bangladesh's different routes to reach its seven north-eastern states.
The issue has been a serious moot point for decades particularly in Bangladesh's political arena.
“We welcome the government move to sign transit agreement with India,” said Azad.
Apart from India, Bangladesh will use roads, railways and river routes for transit, he said.
“We will be able to use them while trading with Bhutan and Nepal. Regional connectivity is important for us. We have to build up infrastructure for our own sake,” said the top business leader.