: Private sector must take lead in IndoBhutanBangladesh trade through inland waterways in Brahmaputra basin: CUTS International #FinanceIndia #StockMarketNEWS Private sector must take lead in Indo-Bhutan-Bangladesh

@StockMarketNEWS Mon 19 Apr, 2021

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Private sector must take lead in IndoBhutanBangladesh trade through inland waterways in Brahmaputra basin: CUTS International #FinanceIndia #StockMarketNEWS
Private sector must take lead in Indo-Bhutan-Bangladesh trade through inland waterways in Brahmaputra basin: CUTS International New Delhi, Apr 14 (KNN) The private sector must take the lead in Indo-Bhutan-Bangladesh trade through inland waterways in the Brahmaputra basin, said research firm CUTS International.

On Tuesday, a webinar was organised on - Indo-Bhutan-Bangladesh Consultation on Trade and Inland Waterways Navigation in the Brahmaputra Basin by Oxfam India (OIN) in collaboration with Oxfam Bangladesh and CUTS International.

The webinar was moderated by Bipul Chatterjee, Executive Director, CUTS International and he said that it was aimed to capture the issues of traders, understand the implications of COVID-19 on trade and inland navigation, connect the traders and the government officials and explore the spaces for women in transboundary trade through rivers.

Speaking on the occasion, Pankaj Anand, Director (Programme & Advocacy) and Oxfam too said that there are immense possibilities of trade among Bangladesh, Bhutan and India.

The fruits of growing trade must be reaped by the most marginalized people on both sides of the border", he said during the webinar which was attended by more than 60 participants from Bangladesh, India and Bhutan.

The organisations are working together towards income augmentation of riparian communities by promoting trade through inland waterways under the regional programme Transboundary Rivers of South Asia supported by the Swedish government.

Dr Shah Mohammad Tanvir Monsur, Bangladesh Assistant High Commissioner, Guwahati, Assam stressed that the trade basket should be enhanced and extended.

“Making trade possible and making trade happen are two different things. We need to develop the supply chain further by analysing the complementarity of the markets”, he added.

Dorji Norbu, Tashi Wangmo Consultancy from Gelephu, Bhutan pointed out the need for infrastructure development at Jogighopa and Dhubri river ports in terms of dredging, clamshell cranes, steel jetty and full-fledged customs and terminal facilities. He argued for extending ports-of-calls status to Chittagong, Pyra and Mongla ports and also shared that with the development of waterways other commodities like fruits and vegetables can also be traded with Bangladesh.

Highlighting the developmental interventions of Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), A K Bansal, Director (Logistics & Traffic) explained the Standard Operating Procedures and protocols that IWAI was developing with their counterparts across the border to make inland waterways easier to navigate and trade upon.

Industry should take advantage of waterways and shift a share of the cargo to inland waterways, he added.