"Some barriers like classification, testing and labelling requirements, registration, quarantine requirement, sanitary and phyto-sanitary requirement, are currently affecting the flow of our exports to India," said FBCCI President Mir Nasir Hossain at a meeting with the 21-member business delegation of Meghalaya, India.

He said poultry, hilsa and dry fish, vegetables, cosmetics and toiletries, pharmaceuticals, ceramics, plastic and melamine products, RMG items have good prospect in North Eastern India.

Citing India's export of over US$ 2 billion against $144 million exports from Bangladesh, he said: "We want to have proper market access to India either under the WTO regime or under the Safta."

"I am aware of some problems. I will talk to the government to expedite the process of increasing trade," said OL Nongtdu, co-chairman of the Meghalaya Industrial Development Corporation Ltd and leader of the delegation.

He referred to short distance between Bangladesh and northeastern India and said the northeastern states are interested to trade more with Bangladesh. He asked local fish exporters to export more fish so that it can raise the export volume from the current Rs 400 crore to Rs 1000 crore.

"This will help reduce the trade imbalance between the two countries," he said and proposed to form a joint chamber aimed at identifying areas of cooperation between the businessmen of northeastern India and Bangladesh.