Seaport link between Ctg, Ranong to boost bilateral trade

Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) President Rizwan Rahman has said the direct seaport connectivity between Chattogram and Ranong would boost the exiting bilateral trade relations between Bangladesh and Thailand.

He made the remarks at a bilateral business meeting with the Ambassador of Thailand in Dhaka Makawadee Sumitmor in Dhaka on Tuesday, according to a statement.

The DCCI president requested the ambassador to relocate Thai labour-intensive industries to Bangladesh.

“The bilateral FTA or PTA would facilitate increased trade and investment between the two nations,” Rizwan also urged upon for direct port connectivity between Chittagong and Ranong seaports for boosting existing trade.   

“In terms of FDI stock in Bangladesh, Thailand is the 15th largest investor in this country but there are huge untapped opportunities for Thai investors especially in the areas of infrastructure, automotive & light engineering, agro and food processing, and tourism and health services,” he said.

Makawadee Sumitmor said still there is a trade gap between these two friendly countries.  The expansion of the India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral route will boost trade in this region.

“In the next year, the Thai Embassy in Dhaka will organize a roadshow to celebrate the diplomatic relation of 50 years between Bangladesh and Thailand,” Makawadee informed, according to a press release.

As the Covid cases are relatively coming down, the Thai government is planning to open the country step by step and by the next two months it will be possible to open fully, she said.

Export from Bangladesh experienced an upward trend in 2021 as it reached $39 million from $35.46 million of 2020, said the statement.

The bilateral trade between Bangladesh and Thailand reached $837.06 million in 2019-20. Bangladesh’s total export to Thailand was only $35.46 million whereas import from Thailand was $801.3 million in 2020, according to the DCCI.