Bangladesh and India secretary-level meeting will start on Friday (4 March) in New Delhi. Duty-free facilities from India have been included in the agenda.
The delegation has left Dhaka to attend the meeting. Commerce Secretary (Senior) Tapan Kanti Ghosh told the media that Bangladesh is paying special attention to the expansion of bilateral trade, especially the removal of tariff barriers. This year, discussions will be held on expanding bilateral trade, removing tariff barriers, and enhancing cooperation to strengthen economic ties.
During the COVID-19 period, the import of goods and raw materials by train from India started. After the goods are unloaded in Bangladesh, the empty containers return to India. They have the opportunity to export Bangladeshi products. However, this requires the approval of the Indian authorities.
Calling India’s policy as going against the SAFTA agreement, Dhaka requested at the secretary-level meeting held in Dhaka last year not to implement that policy in the case of Bangladesh. The neighbouring country was then requested to adhere to SAFTA’s Rules of Origin when exporting goods from Bangladesh.
