Dhaka Chamber seeks Sri Lanka's support for deep-sea fishing, tourism

The Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) has sought Sri Lanka's technical assistance in deep-sea fishing, tourism, and shipping industry.  

Additionally, DCCI President Taskeen Ahmed urged more Sri Lankan entrepreneurs to invest in agriculture and food processing, the construction industry, healthcare, tourism, IT, and the FMCG sectors.

He made these appeals when Dharmapala Weerakkody, high commissioner of Sri Lanka, paid a courtesy visit to the DCCI today and held a meeting with Ahmed.  

Taskeen also proposed expanding negotiations at the government level for the early signing of the proposed Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA), which would significantly enhance bilateral trade and investment.  

During the meeting, he said bilateral trade between the South Asian nations reached $134.06 million in FY24, marking a significant increase from $93.11 million recorded in FY20, reflecting an impressive annual growth rate of 9.5%, according to a press release.  

He also mentioned that a substantial number of Sri Lankan investors, particularly from the banking, textile, power, construction, and pharmaceutical sectors, have already invested in Bangladesh, with foreign direct investment amounting to $428.56 million.  

During the meeting, the Sri Lankan envoy said joint investment in synthetic fabric manufacturing could be highly beneficial for investors from both countries.

Moreover, he highlighted healthcare, tourism, large hotels, IT, education, and the pharmaceutical sector as some of the most promising areas for joint venture investment.  

Dharmapala Weerakkody noted that Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are both Saarc countries and have maintained strong and friendly bilateral diplomatic relations for a long time.  

He, therefore, urged Bangladeshi entrepreneurs to leverage Sri Lanka's experience and technical expertise to develop the local tourism sector.  

He also mentioned that Sri Lanka has already signed PTAs with several countries and that negotiations with Bangladesh will commence soon to further expand bilateral trade and investment between the two nations.  

DCCI's Senior Vice President Razeev H Chowdhury, Vice President Md Salem Sulaiman, and Counsellor (Commercial) of the Sri Lankan High Commission, Srimali Jayarathne, were also present at the meeting.