A visiting Bangladeshi industry leader suggested on Friday that India would do well by allowing the entry of duty free products from its eastern neighbour and in return purchase natural gas from his country.
The statement of Yussuf Abdullah Harun, president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry, assumes significance as it was made in the presence of Bangladeshi Commerce Minister Amir Khoshru Md Chowdhury who also spoke on similar lines, on Thursday, at a meeting with Indian businessmen.
"Dismantling all trade barriers and allowing duty free access to our goods in India will help increase bilateral trade between the two countries," Abdullah Harun said at the inauguration of 16th Industrial India Trade Fair in Kolkata.
"In return India can also benefit by tapping the huge energy resources lying in our country."
"It would also help in promoting intra-regional trade by which the two countries could complement and supplement each other and then we don't have to depend on developed countries," the minister added.
Chowdhury said in the name of globalisation, developed countries would introduce many more tariffs in future, which would prove costly for developing countries like India and Bangladesh.
For the past couple of years, Bangladesh has been dragging its feet from committing gas exports to India due mainly to vehement political opposition to the proposal.
Incidentally, Bangladesh Deputy High Commissioner in Kolkata, Touhid Hussain had on Wednesday said that export of excess gas to India was a political problem and a consensus would be needed before taking a final decision.
A section of people in Bangladesh, including the present ruling government, did not buy the USA and Indian arguements that export of gas through pipelines would help them economically. Those opposing the exports say they would rather burn gas instead of exporting it to India.
Chowdhury is leading a high level trade delegation to West Bengal and had a number of meetings with trade, business and political leaders.
He said the Bangladesh government was working to open Trade Promotion House, promoted by the private sector and it intends to open its first overseas branch in Kolkata.
Chowdhury also requested West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhb Bhattacharjee, who was present on the dias, to allot a plot of land for the purpose to which the latter agreed to work swiftly as soon as formal request was made.
