IPL issue has no impact on Bangladesh-India trade: Commerce adviser
Bangladesh maintains a liberal trade regime with all countries, he says
Highlights:
- Business activities with India continuing normally
- Govt pursuing liberal trade policy with all countries
- No retaliatory steps despite India's import halt
- Jute export halt aimed at protecting domestic supply
- New Import Policy Order (2025–28) being prepared
- Ramadan market price review meeting set for 19 Jan
The diplomatic fallout from the Indian Premier League's (IPL) exclusion of Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman has had no adverse impact on Bangladesh-India trade and business activities between the two neighbouring countries are continuing as usual, Commerce Adviser Sheikh Bashir Uddin said today (11 January).
"Bangladesh maintains a liberal trade regime with all countries. As long as our internal trade is not disrupted, we do not take country-specific bilateral decisions. The government believes in overall trade liberalisation," he said while speaking to reporters after a meeting on the draft Import Policy Order (IPO) at the Secretariat.
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He added that Bangladesh has taken several trade-related measures involving India and is monitoring their impact, if any.
On 3 January, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), co-owned by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, officially confirmed that Bangladeshi fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman has been released from the squad ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL), scheduled to be held from March to May this year.
Following the decision, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) formally requested the International Cricket Council (ICC) to relocate all of the national team's 2026 T20 World Cup matches out of India.
At the briefing, Commerce Secretary Mahbubur Rahman echoed the view, saying day-to-day developments generally do not affect bilateral trade flows.
However, he noted that Bangladesh's exports declined after India shut several land ports and halted imports from Bangladesh in May, adding that Dhaka did not respond with retaliatory measures.
Addressing the recent suspension of jute exports to India, Mahbubur said the decision was taken solely to safeguard domestic supply.
"The move was not intended to harm any country. Our policies are guided by internal trade considerations," he said.
Major overhaul of import policy
Bashir Uddin also said the commerce ministry has drafted a new Import Policy Order for 2025-2028, introducing significant changes from the current 2021-2024 policy, particularly in trade facilitation and liberalisation.
"The draft will be placed before the next meeting of the Advisory Council," he said, adding that the government is working to bring major reforms to the import approval process.
Details will be disclosed once the policy receives approval, he said.
"We held consultations with all stakeholders, including Bangladesh Bank, today. We are aiming to place the proposal before the Advisory Council very soon," he said.
Mahbubur also said the IPO is being revised comprehensively to make trade easier and more efficient.
"We are reviewing the policy page by page to facilitate trade. As a WTO signatory to the Trade Facilitation Agreement, we are aligning our policies accordingly," he said, adding that the changes would bring a substantial overhaul across all areas of the import policy.
Ramadan market review on 19 January
Responding to another query, the commerce adviser said a review meeting on commodity prices ahead of Ramadan has been scheduled for 19 January.
The meeting will involve all relevant stakeholders and will assess the overall market situation, he added.
