The management of the India-Bangladesh border land customs stations needed improvement, said Anup K. Pujari, Director-General of Foreign Trade. Nearly 50 per cent of the Indo-Bangladesh trade transactions takes place through the land route, Pujari said at a convention on Indo-Bangladesh relations, organised by the Calcutta Chamber of Commerce, on Friday.

“Our mutual trade with Bangladesh has been steadily growing but transaction costs continue to be our biggest concern. There is an urgent need for better LCS management. Turnaround time for trucks should also be reduced,” Pujari said.

Land route

About 47 per cent of India’s export to Bangladesh and more than 81 per cent of imports from Bangladesh were transacted through land route over the last nine months of this fiscal. In 2011-12, 43 per cent of India’s export to Bangladesh took place through land.

He added that the Indian government was “deeply concerned” about the rising transaction costs in bilateral trade. “There should be a unified weighing (system) with a single entity being entrusted to carry out the weighing process. It will not only eliminate the difference in weights, but also will result in cutting down the transportation time (and costs),” Pujari pointed out.

Bangladesh Commerce Minister G. M. Quader, who was present on the occasion, said his country was also attempting to sort out jointly with India the problems over quality certification, standards and licensing. He said Bangladesh officials will visit New Delhi soon to discuss the issue of non-tariff barriers.

>ayan.pramanik@thehindu.co.in

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