SME Times News Bureau | 15 Dec, 2012
With almost 50 percent of India's trade with Bangladesh
going through the land route, Director General of Foreign Trade Anup K. Pujari
Friday called for better land customs stations (LCS) management.
"Our mutual trade with Bangladesh has been steadily growing, but
transaction costs continue to be our biggest concern. There is an urgent need
for better LCS management as bulk of the trade is done through the LCSes,"
said Pujari.
Participating at a convention on Indo-Bangladesh trade organised by the
Calcutta Chamber of Commerce here, Pujari said customs procedures and
documentation, and difference in weighment among others, lead to increase in
transaction costs.
"There should be a unified weighment system with a single entity being
entrusted to carry out the weighing process, which will not only eliminate the
difference in weights but will also result in cutting down transportation
time," Pujari said.
"Moreover, trucks from India should be allowed to enter Bangladesh to load
and unload and vice versa, which will help reduce transportation time as well
as costs," he added.
Pujari said that almost 50 percent of the trade with Bangladesh was carried
through LCSs. Over 81 percent of imports from Bangladesh and 43 percent of
India's export to the country were transacted through land in the last nine
months of the current year.
"There is a huge scope for mutual trade to grow and the need of the hour
is to simplify and harmonise customs procedures and documentation, develop
infrastructure and introduce unified weighing system.