Bhutan – Boosting Bilateral Trade

Preferential Trade Agreement and access to inland water routes is helping Bhutan expand bilateral trade with Bangladesh.

Bhutan’s imports now increased to 61 countries from 43 countries, and export market expand[1]ed to 44 countries from 16 countries within a decade.

The new land route for movement of industrial raw materials and goods destined for Pasakha Industrial Estate in Bhutan from West Bengal’s Jaigaon, is expected to not only boost bilateral trade and commerce but also lead to decongestion of vehicular traffic along the Jaigaon – Phuentsholing route.

Unlike Bhutan’s concentrated exports to Bangladesh, the variety of items imported from Bangladesh has increased considerably in the recent past. Import is expected to pick up in both volume and diversity of goods with further developments in bilateral trading arrangements between the two countries. As per Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) between Bhutan and Bangladesh, grant duty free market access available to additional 16 products from Bhutan and 10 products from Bangladesh.

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