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Bhutan wants Bangladesh to make 2017's transit route deal functional soon so that the landlocked country can use Mongla and Banglabandha ports to carry goods from and to Bangladesh through India.
Bhutan's proposal to use the ports was discussed at the third meeting of the joint working group, Senior Commerce Secretary Tapan Kanti Ghosh told The Daily Star today.
The meeting was held in Dhaka today and joined by the senior officials of the two countries.
"The discussion is still at the primary level. We will discuss further in this regard as India is also a part of the proposed transit route," Ghosh said.
However, the secretary declined to comment in details immediately as the negotiation is still underway.
Bhutan has been showing interest to do trade with Bangladesh.
The Hasina administration signed its maiden preferential trade agreement (PTA) with Bhutan on December 6 last year.
Bangladesh signed the first PTA with Bhutan as a gesture of friendliness as the landlocked country was the first nation in the world to recognise Bangladesh's independence on December 6 in 1971.
Under the PTA, some 100 Bangladeshi goods will be enjoying the preferential duty benefit on export to Bhutan while some 34 Bhutanese goods will enjoy the same benefit in Bangladesh.
Last month, Bhutan requested Bangladesh to make the signed PTA effective from July 1 this year as the Bhutanese parliament has already completed the formalities to make the trade deal effective.
In 2018-19 fiscal year, Bangladesh exported goods worth $7.56 million and imported goods worth $42.09 million, according to data from the commerce ministry.
The goods from Bangladesh would include garment items, fruit juices, particle boards, potatoes, cement, biscuits, cosmetics, sugar, jute or coconut fibre carpets, footwears, corrugated iron sheets, iron rods, cables and dried fishes.
Some of the major goods of Bhutan that will be eligible for the benefit are milk, natural honey, cement clinkers, soap, mineral water, portland cement, ferrosilicon, wheat bran, boulder stone, dolomite, gypsum, calcium carbonate, apples, pears, cabbage, cauliflowers, orange, seed potatoes, dried chillies, and cardamom.
Bangladesh and Bhutan agreed for transit in 2017 for using the Mongla and Banglabandha ports but some protocols were needed to be corrected for making the agreement functional.
This time it is expected that the protocols would be finalised for making the agreement functional.
The outlines of the third meeting of the joint working group would be sent to the commerce secretary level discussion for forwarding it to the cabinet for its approval, said a senior official of the commerce ministry of Bangladesh after the meeting.
www.thedailystar.net
Bhutan's proposal to use the ports was discussed at the third meeting of the joint working group, Senior Commerce Secretary Tapan Kanti Ghosh told The Daily Star today.
The meeting was held in Dhaka today and joined by the senior officials of the two countries.
"The discussion is still at the primary level. We will discuss further in this regard as India is also a part of the proposed transit route," Ghosh said.
However, the secretary declined to comment in details immediately as the negotiation is still underway.
Bhutan has been showing interest to do trade with Bangladesh.
The Hasina administration signed its maiden preferential trade agreement (PTA) with Bhutan on December 6 last year.
Bangladesh signed the first PTA with Bhutan as a gesture of friendliness as the landlocked country was the first nation in the world to recognise Bangladesh's independence on December 6 in 1971.
Under the PTA, some 100 Bangladeshi goods will be enjoying the preferential duty benefit on export to Bhutan while some 34 Bhutanese goods will enjoy the same benefit in Bangladesh.
Last month, Bhutan requested Bangladesh to make the signed PTA effective from July 1 this year as the Bhutanese parliament has already completed the formalities to make the trade deal effective.
In 2018-19 fiscal year, Bangladesh exported goods worth $7.56 million and imported goods worth $42.09 million, according to data from the commerce ministry.
The goods from Bangladesh would include garment items, fruit juices, particle boards, potatoes, cement, biscuits, cosmetics, sugar, jute or coconut fibre carpets, footwears, corrugated iron sheets, iron rods, cables and dried fishes.
Some of the major goods of Bhutan that will be eligible for the benefit are milk, natural honey, cement clinkers, soap, mineral water, portland cement, ferrosilicon, wheat bran, boulder stone, dolomite, gypsum, calcium carbonate, apples, pears, cabbage, cauliflowers, orange, seed potatoes, dried chillies, and cardamom.
Bangladesh and Bhutan agreed for transit in 2017 for using the Mongla and Banglabandha ports but some protocols were needed to be corrected for making the agreement functional.
This time it is expected that the protocols would be finalised for making the agreement functional.
The outlines of the third meeting of the joint working group would be sent to the commerce secretary level discussion for forwarding it to the cabinet for its approval, said a senior official of the commerce ministry of Bangladesh after the meeting.
Bhutan wants to finalise 2017's transit deal to use Mongla, Banglabandha ports
Bhutan wants Bangladesh to make 2017’s transit route deal functional soon so that the landlocked country can use Mongla and Banglabandha ports to carry goods from and to Bangladesh through India.
