To begin with, they gave a trial order for two containers of aromatic rice when the Koreans had a one-to-one meeting with about 70 exporters here Wednesday to prepare a sopping list.

They would import rubber from Bangladesh Forest Industries Development Corporation (BFIDC) and reached another agreement on making investment in a joint-venture project for waste plastic recycling.

A 21-member buying mission from Korea Importers Association (KOIMA) arrived in Dhaka Tuesday on a three-day visit to offer to import some select products of their interest from Bangladesh.

KOIMA Chairman Soon Han Kwon is leading the high-powered delegation as part their Asia tour that took them to Sri Lanka and Cambodia.

The delegation expressed interest in readymade garments, handicrafts, leather and leather products, frozen and live foods and agricultural products during the negotiation, said local businesspeople after the business exchange with their Korean counterparts.

They said the Koreans have also interest in building materials, aluminum foils, cosmetics, jewelry, rice, molasses, black pepper, vegetable and herbs, spice pickles, rubber, jute products, home-decoration items.

Titled 'Korea Buying Meeting', the negotiation was formally inaugurated followed by a presentation on the local exportable.

Commerce Minister Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, Commerce Secretary Abdul Karim, Korean Ambassador in Dhaka Seong Ung Park, delegation leader Soon Han Kwon, FBCCI President Mir Nasir Hossain and EPB Vice-chairman Mir Shahabuddin Mohammed addressed the function.

On the sidelines, a mini-exhibition of 40 local products was also arranged so the KOIMA members could have a firsthand idea about the items of their import interest.

"This buying mission will facilitate opening up new opportunities and avenues for promoting trade and investment between the Korean and Bangladeshi businessmen," Altaf told the function, assuring all possible cooperation from the government in facilitating both-way trade and investment.

Soon Han Kwon evinced their interest in buying Bangladeshi products as their yearly imports constitute around US$ 300 billion mainly from Japan, China and developed countries.

They were also interested to explore investment prospects here as well as export potential for their products, he said.

FBCCI President Nasir Hossain noted that Korea is the 10th-largest importer of the global exports, a little slice of which could be a big amount for the country's export earnings.

Local exporters should try to match their demand as they have got a choice for import from the country, he said.

The delegation members are mostly top executives of importing companies from South Korea.

The Export Promotion Bureau, as a part of its market-development activities, has organized the tour in cooperation with the Bangladesh Embassy in Korea.

KOIMA is an important association of the Korean business community having membership in the order of 10,000.

Bangladesh exported goods worth a paltry amount of $ 42 million to Korea during 2004-2005, which shared 0.49 percent of the country's total export earnings of $ 8654.52 million.

Country's major export items are leather, woven garments, jute manufactures, pharmaceuticals, footwear, jute yarn and twine and raw jute.