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Bangladesh minister blasts India on trade barriers

Bangladesh's Industries Minister Tofael Ahmed has blasted India for not allowing duty-free access to goods from smaller neighbours in South Asia, the local media reported on Monday.

"Whereas EU (European Union) is going to give duty-free access to our goods, and US and Canada are providing quota facilities, our big neighbours are doing nothing for us," Ahmed was quoted as telling regional experts in Dhaka on Bangladesh's bitter experience on trade.

The Daily Star quoted him as saying that while Bangladesh had withdrawn all kinds of barriers and reduced duty and tariffs "... even that was not reciprocated by the bigger countries, particularly India."

The meeting, attended by some 20 delegates from the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC), was organised by the Dhaka-based South Asia Centre for Policy Studies.

Ahmed said he regretted that a commitment to allow 25 Bangladeshi export items duty-free entry to India by Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had not been implemented.

"Our (Bangladeshi) businessmen always face problems when they go for export to India," he complained.

India exports goods worth more than $1 billion to Bangladesh annually as against imports worth around $60 million.

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