Bangladesh Seeks Removal of Trade Barriers and Anti-Dumping Duties in India
Bangladesh has urged India to remove trade barriers, lift anti-dumping duties on key products, and extend duty-free market access beyond its graduation from Least Developed Country status. These critical trade issues were raised during the two-day 16th meeting of the Bangladesh-India Joint Working Group on Trade, which commenced on October 8 in New Delhi. A 10-member Bangladeshi delegation, led by Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Ayesha Akter, attended the bilateral discussions focused on resolving trade obstacles, expanding land port infrastructure, and boosting regional connectivity.
To safeguard national export interests, Dhaka highlighted the necessity of removing tariff and non-tariff barriers, reviewing current transit restrictions, and lifting existing anti-dumping duties on Bangladeshi jute goods and PET film. To ensure smooth post-graduation trade continuity, Bangladesh proposed retaining the duty-free benefits currently available under the South Asian Free Trade Area agreement. Furthermore, the delegation emphasized harmonizing product standards, mutual recognition of quality benchmarks, and simplifying certification procedures with the Bureau of Indian Standards, alongside operationalizing the bilateral CEOs’ Forum to facilitate direct business cooperation.
Regional transit and border infrastructure development were central to Bangladesh’s agenda during the working group meeting. Dhaka called for upgrading facilities at India’s Land Customs Stations, specifically requesting improvements to access routes, parking yards, warehouses, sheds, and testing or quarantine setups to accelerate cargo clearance. Expanding goods transportation from Bangladesh to Nepal and Bhutan via Indian territory was also prioritized. Meanwhile, India’s delegation pressed for removing port-specific restrictions on exporting cotton yarn to Bangladesh and easing trade barriers affecting its northeastern states through multimodal transport and border haats.
Leveraging geographical proximity holds immense potential for expanding bilateral commerce, but fully realizing these benefits hinges on addressing border transport limitations and trade restrictions. Both sides emphasized increasing the efficiency of commercial routes, including the Akhaura-Agartala link, to reduce overall trade time and transport costs. Ultimately, the Joint Working Group discussions are expected to pave the way for actionable solutions, seamless trade flows, and strengthened regional economic ties between the two neighboring nations in the coming years.
