With India seeking to address the trade imbalance with Bangladesh, a World Bank report released on Monday said a free trade agreement (FTA) between the two countries could push bilateral trade up by over 100 per cent.

“An FTA between the two nations would increase Bangladesh’s exports to India by 182 per cent and that of India’s to Bangladesh by 126 per cent,” World Bank lead economist Sanjay Kathuria said, while releasing a report titled ‘Unlocking Bangladesh-India Trade’ at a CII function here, Indian English daily The Hindu reports on Wednesday.

During 2011-12, the two-way trade stood at $4.3 billion. Bangladesh has long complained that trade with India was unequal, with India selling goods worth over $3.5 billion to Bangladesh against the latter’s export to India of about $0.6 billion.

Research and Information System for Developing Countries Fellow Prabir De said India’s closer economic cooperation with Bangladesh can be an important steeping-stone to reduce the economic isolation of India’s North-Eastern states. The agreement would also be beneficial for Bangladesh as more manufacturing activity would take place which would generate more employment oppostunities.

News: The Daily Sun/Bangladesh/20th-Dec-12