The trade deficit between Bangladesh and Thailand could be reduced through proper initiatives and utilisation of the already-existed duty-free access facility of a large number of Bangladeshi goods to Thailand, business leaders at a meeting said.
The Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) held recently a preparatory meeting, with the bureau vice chairman Mir Shahabuddin Mohammad in the chair, to organise a single country trade fair in Thailand aiming at promoting Bangladeshi goods.
The fair is likely to take place at the IMPACT Centre in Bangkok between October 17 and 20, says a press release.
Mir Shahabuddin told the meeting Bangladesh's total export to Thailand stood only at US $35.6 million in the 2004-05 fiscal while the country imported goods worth US $327.40 million from Thailand during the same period.
He further said local business organisations should utilise the duty free access facility of 229 Bangladeshi goods, including knit and woven wear, jute and textile fabrics, shrimps and frozen fish and chemical fertilizer, to Thailand.
Bangladesh-Thai Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Rashed Maksud Khan emphasised the need for organising such trade fairs in promoting local products to international market.
"It would not be tough to reduce the trade gap between the two countries if we can increase our exports. Moreover, Bangladeshi products are in great demand in Thai market," he added.
The meeting expressed its optimism that the October single country fair would play a vital rule in narrowing the trade gap.
Representatives from different chambers and associations as well as manufacturers and officials of various export oriented business organisations attended the meeting.
