FBCCI President Kazi Akram Uddin Ahmed urged the visiting trade delegation of Vietnam to allow duty-free and quota-free access for the Bangladeshi products to their market. “Despite our close and long-standing bilateral relations, the trade volume between the two countries has not reached its desired level. So we call for 100% duty-free and quota-free access for Bangladeshi goods,” Bangladesh’s apex trade body chief said at a meeting with the high-profile delegation yesterday. The delegation led by Vietnam’s Deputy Minister for Industry and Trade, Hoang Quoc Vuong met Kazi Akram at the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) office in the city. The visit of the seven-member team aims to explore trade and investment opportunities here in a bid to widen bilateral trade ties. “It is clear that our trade balance is hugely in favour of Vietnam. In this context, trade facilitation has become necessary to resolve the non-tariff barriers like certification requirements and important licensing system for Bangladeshi exports,” said FBCCI president. “We are very much hopeful that the joint committee on trade will address these issues.” Akram invited the Vietnamese businesses and enterprises to visit Bangladesh and explore the market and investment opportunities firsthand. He said Bangladeshi business people are eager to increase cooperation in trade and investment with Vietnam. Vietnamese Deputy Minister Hoang Quoc Vuong said the bilateral trade between the two countries is now modest. He said direct Dhaka-Hanoi air link and simplification of visa processing could enhance the relation. In the first eight months of the current fiscal year, Bangladesh earned $35.70m from exports to Vietnam. In the last fiscal year, Bangladesh exported products worth nearly $56m to the Asian country, while imports value amounted to $582m. Bangladesh imports salt, sulphar, earth and stone, plastering materials, lime and cement, man-made filaments, iron and steel and fertiliser from Vietnam. Export goods to Vietnam include fish, molluscs, medicine, oil seeds, grain, fruits, rubber, raw hides and skin, special woven and other several items.
