Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association has sought a 50-acre land in India to build a warehouse and distribution centre. The call came as the visiting India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi met a business delegation at Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka yesterday. The delegation was led by Abdul Matlub Ahmed, president of Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI). “If India allocates 50 acres (of land), we will form a company in India with a fund of $25m to establish India’s largest warehouse and distribution centre,” BGMEA president Atiqul Islam told Narendra Modi. He also told PM Modi that they want to open 1,000 retail shops in India. Atiqul Islam said if all the steps were implemented, it would help Bangladesh reduce trade gap between the two countries. He also urged the Indian premier to withdraw countervailing duty and to import more clothing products from Bangladesh. Narendra Modi patiently listened to the business leaders and assured of consideration, according to a press release issued by the BGMEA. “We hope that Narendra Modi’s visit will open a new horizon in the Bangladesh-India relations, especially in the areas of trade, business and investment,” said apex trade body president Matlub Ahmad. “Now Bangladesh business people can travel to Nepal through Indian territory,” he added referring to bilateral agreements signed between India and Bangladesh recently. He also proposed establishing a “Joint Working Group” involving private sectors of the two countries to help implement the agreements signed to narrow the trade gap between Delhi and Dhaka. Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Mahbubul Alam urged the Indian PM to take an initiative to build a deep sea port in Bangladesh coastal areas near the port city of Chittagong. FBCCI senior vice president Shafiul Islam, Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Syed Nasim Manzur and Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Hossain Khaled, among others, were present during the visit.
