11:50 am, Friday, 7 February 2025

Bangladesh-Pakistan business forum held

A high-level business delegation from the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), led by its president Atif Ikram Sheikh, on Tuesday visited the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) to participate in the ‘Bangladesh-Pakistan Business Forum.’

The event, aimed at enhancing bilateral trade and investment, took place at the DCCI auditorium, with DCCI president Taskeen Ahmed chairing the meeting.

DCCI President Taskeen said that trade statistics between Bangladesh and Pakistan reflected both progress and potential, with Bangladesh importing goods worth $627.8 million from Pakistan in the financial year 2023-24, while exporting $61.98 million.

He also said that the bilateral trade volume had not reached the expected level, as trade between the two nations faced significant challenges, including non-tariff barriers and tariff disparities.

Resuming direct flights between Dhaka and Karachi and introducing shipping routes would facilitate smoother trade, he said.

Moreover, to unlock the full potential of bilateral trade, both nations may consider signing a bilateral trade agreement like FTA or PTA, Taskeen said.

DCCI president said that sectors like agriculture, cement clinkers, leather goods, surgical instruments, chemicals, IT and public health management offered significant opportunities for joint initiatives.

FPCCI president Atif Ikram Sheikh said despite huge potential, bilateral trade has not yet reached the desired level.

He said that about 55 per cent of Pakistan’s total exports to Bangladesh came from the textile and apparel sector, while the majority of Bangladesh’s exports relied on the readymade garment sector, so there was scope to add more new products to the import-export activities.

He urged the entrepreneurs of Bangladesh to import more agricultural products, rice, ceramics and other products from Pakistan.

Bangladesh has recently made great progress in the field of information technology and mobile financing, Atif Ikram said, especially in the field of information technology, businessmen of the two countries could work on joint investment.

He urged the Bangladeshi exporters to use Pakistan as a corridor while exporting Bangladeshi products to other countries.

Atif also said that development of infrastructure in the logistic sector would expedite both export and import.

Pakistan high commissioner to Bangladesh Syed Ahmed Maroof said that recently the movement of goods between the two countries by sea has started and if these business activities of trade and investment continued, bilateral trade would be able to reach $3 billion in the next 2 to 3 years.

DCCI senior vice-president Razeev H Chowdhury said that both countries had a large pool of young and innovative population those were very keen in IT sector.

To utilise this potential, he called upon Pakistani IT entrepreneurs to come to Bangladesh and invest in the Hi-tech Park here.

Later a B2B match-making session among the Pakistan delegation and members companies of DCCI was held.

Nearly 100 member companies of DCCI participated in the B2B session.

 

Bangladesh-Pakistan business forum held

Update Time : 06:43:41 pm, Tuesday, 14 January 2025

A high-level business delegation from the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), led by its president Atif Ikram Sheikh, on Tuesday visited the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) to participate in the ‘Bangladesh-Pakistan Business Forum.’

The event, aimed at enhancing bilateral trade and investment, took place at the DCCI auditorium, with DCCI president Taskeen Ahmed chairing the meeting.

DCCI President Taskeen said that trade statistics between Bangladesh and Pakistan reflected both progress and potential, with Bangladesh importing goods worth $627.8 million from Pakistan in the financial year 2023-24, while exporting $61.98 million.

He also said that the bilateral trade volume had not reached the expected level, as trade between the two nations faced significant challenges, including non-tariff barriers and tariff disparities.

Resuming direct flights between Dhaka and Karachi and introducing shipping routes would facilitate smoother trade, he said.

Moreover, to unlock the full potential of bilateral trade, both nations may consider signing a bilateral trade agreement like FTA or PTA, Taskeen said.

DCCI president said that sectors like agriculture, cement clinkers, leather goods, surgical instruments, chemicals, IT and public health management offered significant opportunities for joint initiatives.

FPCCI president Atif Ikram Sheikh said despite huge potential, bilateral trade has not yet reached the desired level.

He said that about 55 per cent of Pakistan’s total exports to Bangladesh came from the textile and apparel sector, while the majority of Bangladesh’s exports relied on the readymade garment sector, so there was scope to add more new products to the import-export activities.

He urged the entrepreneurs of Bangladesh to import more agricultural products, rice, ceramics and other products from Pakistan.

Bangladesh has recently made great progress in the field of information technology and mobile financing, Atif Ikram said, especially in the field of information technology, businessmen of the two countries could work on joint investment.

He urged the Bangladeshi exporters to use Pakistan as a corridor while exporting Bangladeshi products to other countries.

Atif also said that development of infrastructure in the logistic sector would expedite both export and import.

Pakistan high commissioner to Bangladesh Syed Ahmed Maroof said that recently the movement of goods between the two countries by sea has started and if these business activities of trade and investment continued, bilateral trade would be able to reach $3 billion in the next 2 to 3 years.

DCCI senior vice-president Razeev H Chowdhury said that both countries had a large pool of young and innovative population those were very keen in IT sector.

To utilise this potential, he called upon Pakistani IT entrepreneurs to come to Bangladesh and invest in the Hi-tech Park here.

Later a B2B match-making session among the Pakistan delegation and members companies of DCCI was held.

Nearly 100 member companies of DCCI participated in the B2B session.