Food processing, agriculture new areas for Indo- Bangla cross-border ties: Shringla

The Indian high commissioner in Dhaka has said that agriculture, horticulture and food processing are some areas where there are great potentials for cross-border cooperations with Bangladesh.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 8 July 2017, 06:38 PM
Updated : 8 July 2017, 06:39 PM

“India can supply agricultural and horticultural products to Bangladesh both for direct consumption and for the use in the food processing industry,” Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Saturday.

“Bangladesh companies can also access the Indian market, the Northeastern markets in particular, by exporting finished products and by exploring opportunities for investment there.”

Speaking at a buyers-sellers meet in Dhaka, he said, products of Pran Group from Bangladesh, which has also invested in Tripura, are already doing “very well” in India’s Northeastern states.

He said Indian authorities have now started accepting the test certificates issued by the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution for 21 food items.

Some 50 traders and companies of agricultural, horticultural and processed food items from different parts of India participated in the event. Over 250 Bangladesh traders and enterprises met them.

The Indian Chamber of Commerce in association with the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce & Industry, FBCCI, and the India- Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce & Industry jointly organised the meet in the area of agriculture, horticulture and food processing.

The high commissioner said India-Bangladesh trade and commercial relationship are on “upward” trajectory.

During the visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India in April, 13 agreements worth an estimated $10 billion Indian investment for Bangladesh in the power, energy, logistics, medical and education sectors were signed.

“There is great potential for creating cross-border value chains in different sectors”.

“We already have an excellent example of this on the Meghalaya-Bangladesh border where Lafarge Surma Cement imports limestone from Meghalaya using a cross-border conveyor belt for its cement plant close to the border with Bangladesh,” he said.

Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu, President of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce & Industry Md. Shafiul Islam, President of the India-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce & Industry Taskeen Ahmad, Director General of the Indian Chamber of Commerce Dr Rajeev Singh and immediate past president of the FBCCI Abdul Matlub Ahmad also spoke at the function.