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Dhaka not interested to open new border 'haats'
Dhaka not interested to open new border 'haats'
Nazmul Ahsan
Dhaka is disinterested in opening new 'border haats' that were proposed by New Delhi along some border-belt areas until New Delhi agrees to amend the Mode of Operation of Border Haat agreement in order to facilitate trading of all Bangladeshi products at the 'haats' (a variety of local marketing centres).
The decision was taken at an inter-ministerial meeting, held in the Ministry of Commerce (MoC) Wednesday last, official sources said.
The meeting expressed the view that Dhaka had no reason to establish four new border haats as recently proposed by New Delhi as the Mode of Operation under the existing India-Bangladesh Border Haat agreement was benefiting the Indian traders only.
"We will soon seek amendments to the existing agreement from the Indian authority. After amendments are made, upon being mutually agreed, the issue of establishing new haats may be considered," a top trade official told the FE Thursday.
Last September, New Delhi proposed for opening of four more border haats along the border-belt areas of two neighbouring countries. The places for the proposed haats are Kamalasagar, Srinagar, Pal Basti and Kanalpur. All the four sites are located at places within the Indian state of Tripura, while the areas, opposite to those sites, are within the districts of Brammanbaria, Feni and Maulovibazar in Bangladesh.
The first border haat in Bangladesh started operation on October 23 last year at Baliamari (Kalaichar) under Kurigram. Another such haat is likely to be officially inaugurated soon at Lawaghar (Balat) in Sunamganj district, officials in the MoC said.
Presently, border haat is held once in a week at Baliamari, Kurigram. However, only vegetables worth about Tk 1,000 are sold by the Bangladeshi traders on an average while the average sale of Indian products -- mostly fruits and spices -varies, in value terms, between Tk 30,000 and Tk 35,000, said a source.
The MoC officials said amendment to the existing Mode of Operation is their prime concern now, as the Indian customs and its Border Security Force (BSF) bar Bangladeshi traders from selling items, which are of high demand among the Indians, in the border haat.
According to the existing Mode of Operation of the agreement, only locally produced items can be traded at the haat. The term 'locally produced' means "products produced in the concerned border district of designated border haat ", a trade official said.
"We want to include products produced anywhere in Bangladesh and India replacing 'products produced in the concerned border district of any designated border haat,'' the official in the MoC said.
According to the Border Haat agreement, the commodities to be traded in the haats are locally produced agricultural commodities, horticulture products including spices in dried or powdered form, minor forest products excluding timber, ceramics, plastic and aluminium products, cosmetics, toiletries, fresh and dry fish, dairy, fishery and poultry products, products of local cottage industries like 'gamchha' (thin towels), wooden furniture and cane products manufactured by local population, utensils and equipment of iron for sowing and agriculture purposes like 'dao', plough, axe, spade, chisel etc.
The MoC officials said border haat is now largely benefiting the Indian traders, not their Bangladesh counterparts.
The inter-ministerial meeting furthermore decided to make a request to New Delhi to enlarge the area of the territory of Indian side from the existing five kilometres to 10 kilometres as currently a small number of Indian traders and buyers come to the Baliamari (Kalaichar) haat because of low density of population on the Indian side.
People residing within an area of five kilometres on both sides of haats are allowed to trade items, as are listed at the haats, according to the Border Haat agreement.
Dhaka not interested to open new border 'haats'
Nazmul Ahsan
Dhaka is disinterested in opening new 'border haats' that were proposed by New Delhi along some border-belt areas until New Delhi agrees to amend the Mode of Operation of Border Haat agreement in order to facilitate trading of all Bangladeshi products at the 'haats' (a variety of local marketing centres).
The decision was taken at an inter-ministerial meeting, held in the Ministry of Commerce (MoC) Wednesday last, official sources said.
The meeting expressed the view that Dhaka had no reason to establish four new border haats as recently proposed by New Delhi as the Mode of Operation under the existing India-Bangladesh Border Haat agreement was benefiting the Indian traders only.
"We will soon seek amendments to the existing agreement from the Indian authority. After amendments are made, upon being mutually agreed, the issue of establishing new haats may be considered," a top trade official told the FE Thursday.
Last September, New Delhi proposed for opening of four more border haats along the border-belt areas of two neighbouring countries. The places for the proposed haats are Kamalasagar, Srinagar, Pal Basti and Kanalpur. All the four sites are located at places within the Indian state of Tripura, while the areas, opposite to those sites, are within the districts of Brammanbaria, Feni and Maulovibazar in Bangladesh.
The first border haat in Bangladesh started operation on October 23 last year at Baliamari (Kalaichar) under Kurigram. Another such haat is likely to be officially inaugurated soon at Lawaghar (Balat) in Sunamganj district, officials in the MoC said.
Presently, border haat is held once in a week at Baliamari, Kurigram. However, only vegetables worth about Tk 1,000 are sold by the Bangladeshi traders on an average while the average sale of Indian products -- mostly fruits and spices -varies, in value terms, between Tk 30,000 and Tk 35,000, said a source.
The MoC officials said amendment to the existing Mode of Operation is their prime concern now, as the Indian customs and its Border Security Force (BSF) bar Bangladeshi traders from selling items, which are of high demand among the Indians, in the border haat.
According to the existing Mode of Operation of the agreement, only locally produced items can be traded at the haat. The term 'locally produced' means "products produced in the concerned border district of designated border haat ", a trade official said.
"We want to include products produced anywhere in Bangladesh and India replacing 'products produced in the concerned border district of any designated border haat,'' the official in the MoC said.
According to the Border Haat agreement, the commodities to be traded in the haats are locally produced agricultural commodities, horticulture products including spices in dried or powdered form, minor forest products excluding timber, ceramics, plastic and aluminium products, cosmetics, toiletries, fresh and dry fish, dairy, fishery and poultry products, products of local cottage industries like 'gamchha' (thin towels), wooden furniture and cane products manufactured by local population, utensils and equipment of iron for sowing and agriculture purposes like 'dao', plough, axe, spade, chisel etc.
The MoC officials said border haat is now largely benefiting the Indian traders, not their Bangladesh counterparts.
The inter-ministerial meeting furthermore decided to make a request to New Delhi to enlarge the area of the territory of Indian side from the existing five kilometres to 10 kilometres as currently a small number of Indian traders and buyers come to the Baliamari (Kalaichar) haat because of low density of population on the Indian side.
People residing within an area of five kilometres on both sides of haats are allowed to trade items, as are listed at the haats, according to the Border Haat agreement.
