Nepal keen to use Bangladesh ports to reduce its reliance on Kolkata

Nepal, which is a land-locked country sandwiched between two neighbouring giants China and India, has now expressed its willingness to use the ports of Bangladesh to reduce its over dependence on Kolkata port.

Ambassador of Nepal to Bangladesh Dr. Banshidhar Mishra officially came up with the plea while he paid a courtesy call on FBCCI senior vice president Mostofa Azad Chowdhury Babu at the latter’s office in the capital on Thursday.

During the call on, Nepalese ambassador said, “Despite having cultural similarities and remarkable diplomatic relations between the two countries, it is unfortunate that bilateral trade did not reflect it properly.”

He also called for keeping Nepal in the discussion on the Ganges water sharing agreement and also mentioned that two-thirds of the river’s water comes from Nepal during the dry season.

Dr Banshidhar said, “Bangladeshi investors can invest in the hydropower sector since there is a potential in the hydropower and commodity trade sector.”

“Though Nepal is the second most promising country in the world just after Brazil, the trade between Nepal and Bangladesh is being largely hampered due to the complex situation,” explained Banshidhar Mishra.

He, however, hoped that with the BBIN Motor Vehicle Agreement, the existing complexities will be reduced to some extent.

The envoy also expressed his gratitude for Bangladesh’s cooperation in the 2015 earthquake and also during the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.

FBCCI senior vice-president Mostofa Azad also urged the Nepalese ambassador to import surplus potatoes from Bangladesh at comparatively lower prices as Bangladesh produces more potatoes than the demand.

As a good number of Nepalese medical students are studying in Bangladesh, he wanted to know about the possibility of establishing a medical college in Nepal.

In reply, the ambassador said, “All the cities except Kathmandu have the opportunity for establishing medical colleges in Nepal.”

FBCCI vice-president MA Momen called for more research on the potential and vulnerabilities of bilateral trade between the two countries.

FBCCI vice president Md. Amin Helali and CEO Mohammad Mahfuzul Haque were also present during the call on.