Bangladesh-India Trade Issues Take Centre Stage at Joint Working Group Meeting

The 16th meeting of the Bangladesh-India Joint Working Group begins in New Delhi today, Thursday (October 8), and will continue until Friday. Bangladesh is expected to raise a range of trade-related concerns, including the withdrawal of anti-dumping duties on jute products and various complications at land ports.

A 10-member Bangladeshi delegation, led by Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Ayesha Akter, left Dhaka on Tuesday to attend the meeting. A member of the delegation said Bangladesh plans to present almost all of its major business and trade-related demands. However, the specific issues to be raised by the Indian side have not yet been confirmed.

As the meeting is primarily discussion-based, it is not expected to produce any final decisions immediately. Instead, the two sides will discuss existing trade barriers and explore possible ways to address them.

The trade imbalance between the two countries is also expected to feature prominently in the discussions. Bangladesh imports significantly more goods from India than it exports to the neighbouring country. However, the widely discussed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) has not been included in Bangladesh’s agenda this time.

According to National Board of Revenue (NBR) data, Bangladesh exported goods worth $1.75 billion to India in the 2025-26 fiscal year. During the same period, Bangladesh imported goods worth $10.96 billion from India, highlighting the significant trade imbalance between the two countries.

Bangladeshi businesses rely heavily on India for industrial raw materials, fabrics, cotton and other essential goods. As a result, easing trade procedures, addressing tariff-related issues and improving the efficiency of land ports remain important concerns for businesses.