There will be no more hassle for exports of Bangladesh non-traditional products to India after two neighbouring countries have signed an agreement of certification of standards.With the signing of agreement between Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) and Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has open frontier of four decade old hassle endured by Bangladesh entrepreneurs exports to India.Henceforth the ‘Accreditation of Product Certification System’ will be accepted by both customs offices by both neighbouring countries, an official said on Sunday.The trade bodies, specially the India-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IBCCI) have no knowledge of the details of the agreement, accept for the newspaper reports.The trade bodies and stakeholders have not been consulted of the agreement, nor the authorities shared the copy of the agreement, it was alleged. Presently president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) Abdul Matlub Ahmed said that he is not aware of gamut of the agreement, which he dubbed as a milestone in improvement of bilateral trade.Based on newspaper report, the FBCCI leader said the agreement was an outcome of long demand of the business people, especially those exporting Bangladeshi products to India.Government officials could have discussed the draft agreement with the stakeholders and beneficiaries. Unfortunately they were kept on bay, Matlub Ahmed said.Other trade body leaders, Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industries (DCCI) former president Sabur Khan remarked that such agreements are signed and are not followed-up by the government authorities. “Such agreements do not bring any positive impact on the society, people and the country,” he said.However, Sabur Khan did not hesitate to say that the business trade bodies and the government should take steps to implement the agreement. Equally BGMEA and BKMEA leaders did not hesitate to state that they are not aware of the agreement between two countries to recognise the certification of BSTI and BIS.Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque told Daily Observer that the agreements signed between two countries have decided to upload in the public domain jointly, when all the stakeholders will be able to have access to the deal. The agreements are not Bible. The deals could be amended with the inputs of the stakeholders, specially from the representatives of the trade bodies, foreign secretary said.
