DHAKA: Bangladesh’s apex business body FBCCI expressed its disagreement with former oil and gas minister and present Rajya Sabha member of India Mani Shankar Aiyar over expanding scope of Bangladeshi goods export to the Indian market.

The disagreement came at a meeting held between FBCCI leaders and a trade delegation of India on Monday noon.

“Tariff and non-tariff barriers are not the major obstacles against expanding scope of exporting Bangladeshi goods to Indian market. The main point is to change the attitude of Bangladeshi businessmen regarding this issue,” Mani Shankar said at the meeting.

Newly elected FBCCI president AK Azad, opposing Mani Shankar’s observations, said, “The tariff-non-tariff barrier along with goods quality test and other complications are hampering the exportation to India.

“Bangladeshi traders feel demoralized in exporting to India for these obstacles, which causes gradual trade gap between the two countries.”

Indian high commissioner in Dhaka Rajit Mitter was also present at the meeting at the Federation building.

A 31-member Indian trade delegation is now on a visit to Bangladesh.

The former minister of India said there is huge scope for expanding the market of Bangladeshi products in India. “Bangladesh should take the chance and increase the GDP growth 2 per cent more by exporting to the seven sates of North-Eastern India,” he told his audience.

But AK Azad mentioned issues like infrastructural barrier, customs and banking problems and visa-related complications besides the tariff-non-tariff trade wall and quality test hurdles as the export obstacles.

He said, “It takes minimum two weeks to get the report of quality test of Bangladeshi goods.”

AK Azad said a Bangladeshi trade delegation under the aegis of FBCCI would meet the central government of India soon for discussion on ways of dismantling the barriers.

The Indian High Commission in Dhaka also assured them assistance in straightening the trans-border trade line.

BDST: 1848 HRS. July 12, 2010