KALADAN NEWS

Dated-18th February 2003.

BANGLADESH FAIR BEGINS IN RANGOON MARCH 20

Chittagong, February 18: The second Bangladesh’s

single country fair will be beginning in Rangoon on

March 20, said in the Daily Star.

An agreement on joint business council will also be

signed during the 5 day show planned in the Burma

capital in Rangoon to project Bangladesh’s export

potentials, the Daily Star further added.

The first country fair in Rangoon in March last year,

encouraged both the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) and

the private sector to organize the second fair, said

the Bangladesh- Burma Business Promotion Council

Chairman R. Maksud Khan.

However, the vast potentials, generated from the first

fair could not be explored fully due to some

bottlenecks regarding shipping and banking. Burma

businesspeople have limitations in opening L/Cs there

due to restrict foreign currency regulations, said in

the Daily Star yesterday.

To overcome the problem, both the sides last year

agreed on introducing account trade. Businesspeople in

Bangladesh hoped that two arrangements---account trade

system and direct shipping link between Chittagong and

Rangoon--- would bolster bilateral trade between two

countries and help reduce trade gap, said in the

Newspaper.

The Bangladesh fair 2002 had some 60 stalls, apart

from display of a gala cultural show. This time, the

target is to have 100 stalls.

Bangladesh has good prospect, especially in

pharmaceuticals, jute and jute goods, ceramic, steel

products and cosmetics, in Burma, which enjoys a trade

in bilateral trade.

In 2000-01, Bangladesh imports from Burma amounted to

US$24.69 million while the country’s export was only

$1.09 million, said in the paper.

The two countries entered into a border trade

agreement in 1994. #

EDITOR

Kaladan Press Network