Proposed Dhaka-Delhi Cepa may unlock new trade, investment opportunities: Indian trade body
It sees strong alignment between the Bangladesh government's “Bangladesh First” strategy and India’s own development experience.
India's leading industry body, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), today (4 May) said the proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (Cepa) between Bangladesh and India could significantly expand bilateral trade and investment by moving beyond trade in goods to include services, investment facilitation, technology collaboration, and skills development.
It sees strong alignment between the new Government of Bangladesh's "Bangladesh First" strategy and India's own development experience, underscoring vast opportunities for deeper economic partnership.
Speaking during an interaction with a Bangladesh media delegation at the headquarters of CII in New Delhi, its Senior Vice President (International Business) Pankaj Tandon said the current phase in Bangladesh-India relations was crucial not only for sustaining existing ties but also for shaping the next stage of economic partnership to support Bangladesh's long-term growth and competitiveness.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
"We see strong alignment between the new Government of Bangladesh's 'Bangladesh First' approach and India's own development experience," he said.
At its core, Tandon said, "Bangladesh First" emphasises domestic capacity building, job creation, productivity enhancement, export diversification, digital transformation, and long-term resilience.
"Importantly, this is not an inward-looking strategy. It is about strengthening national capabilities through well-designed partnerships," he added.
Describing Bangladesh as India's largest trading partner in South Asia, Tandon said India remained Bangladesh's second-largest trading partner in Asia, with bilateral trade standing at around $13.5 billion in the 2024–25 fiscal year.
He said economic cooperation remained the backbone of bilateral relations, adding that expanding market access, reducing non-tariff barriers, and improving border infrastructure could significantly boost trade.
Tandon said Bangladesh's industrial strength and India's manufacturing and services sectors complement each other, creating opportunities for integrated regional value chains.
Highlighting sector-specific opportunities, he said textiles and apparel would continue to remain central to Bangladesh's economy even after its graduation from Least Developed Country status, while future competitiveness would increasingly depend on productivity, compliance standards, machinery, and design capabilities.
He also identified medical tourism, food processing, agricultural value chains, the digital economy, startups, energy cooperation, and MSME linkages as promising areas for expanded collaboration.
Tandon said Indian expertise in digital public infrastructure, fintech, renewable energy, manufacturing excellence, and sustainable development could support Bangladesh's economic transformation.
He reaffirmed CII's commitment to working closely with partner organisations in Bangladesh to deepen business-to-business engagement and strengthen economic cooperation between the two neighbouring countries.
