Kathmandu Post

Business»

B’desh potential market to Nepalis goods: Experts

KATHMANDU, JAN 17 - Nepali goods have a better export potential in Bangladesh, however efforts has not been satisfactory, said experts gathered in an interaction programme organised by FNCCI in the capital today.
"Bangladesh imports huge volume of edible oils, pulses and sugar each year from third countries, and Nepal has every potential to tap this market," Dr Dev Bhakta Shakya, Executive Director of Agro Enterprise Centre of FNCCI said during his presentation.
Shakya added, there is a need for an infrastructure upgrading mostly in the sector like customs offices, inland container depot, communications systems and warehouse facilities, parking/ loading and offloading areas.
Experts say, the agricultural products including rice, lentil, big cardamom, off season vegetables, oranges, apples ginger, instant noodles vegetable and ghee, biscuits, milk and milk products, herbal products, honey do have an export potential in Bangladesh.
They further add that non agricultural products including straw board, man made staple fibre handicraft, boulders, marble chips/slabs toothpaste and powder, pashmina shawls, face creams among others are some other commodities having export potentials to Bangladesh.
Nepal imported goods worth Rs 643 million from Bangladesh and exported goods worth Rs 237 million to Bangladesh in 2001/02. Major import from Bangladesh includes raw cotton, jute, fertilisers, dried fish, cements, pharmaceuticals, and industrial raw materials among others.
Suraj Vaidya, 3rd Vice President of the FNCCI added, tourism can be another area from which Nepal can benefit. "If 430,000 Bangladeshi tourists can visit in India, and 36,000 can visit in Thailand, why can’t we attract Bangladeshis in Nepal," he added.Vaidya and Shakya were presenting a paper an interaction programme on Nepal-Bangladesh Economic Opportunities and SASEC Initiatives. Some 100 participants – from government offices, private sectors, independent experts, among others were present in the programme.Water resources management, expansion of air linkages, joint ventures on the sectors including the education, tourism and health and investment in the pharmaceutical industry are some other major areas for the mutual benefits of both the countries, he added.
Hafeej Rahman, Country Director of Asian Development Bank, on the occasion, said that the signing of SAFTA has opened tremendous opportunities for SAARC member countries including Nepal and Bangladesh.
Binod Bahadur Shrestha, President of the FNCCI pointed out the need to explore areas of prospective co-operation. "We need to identify the issues and infrastructures requiring our immediate attention," he said.
Shrestha is leading a Nepali delegation to Bangladesh this Monday to sign a memorandum of understanding aimed at establishing Joint Business Council with Federation of Bangladeshi Chamber of Commerce and Industry.Posted on: 2004-01-18 02:31

---