Country's apex trade body Thursday requested India to remove non-tariff barriers (NTBs) and establish direct air connectivity between Dhaka and Assam's capital Guwahati for boosting bilateral trade.
The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) president Md Shafiul Islam (Mohiuddin) made the call at a meeting with a visiting delegation of Assam government at the FBCCI office.
He expressed the hope in making concrete progress to resolve the NTBs with India, especially with the neighbouring north-eastern states including Assam.
"We, the private sector, believe that there still remains a large untapped potential for developing investment and trade relations between Assam and Bangladesh," he told the meeting, in presence of Assam state government's minister of public works department Parimal Suklabaidya and its finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Mr Sarma assured the FBCCI of persuading the central government of India to solve the NTBs to boost bilateral trade between the two countries.
He invited businesspeople from Bangladesh to the 'Global Investors Summit- Advantage Assam' to be held in Guwahati in February next year. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the summit, the meeting was told.
In fiscal year 2016-17, Bangladesh exported goods worth US$ 0.6 billion to India and imported products of $6.2 billion.
talhabinhabib@yahoo.com