On Tuesday (October 13), at a meeting with the Netherlands' Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Sjoerd Sjoerdsma, at the conference room of the Ministry of Commerce at the Secretariat, Minister of Commerce, Industry, Textiles and Jute Khandaker Abdul Muktadir raised these issues.
The commerce minister said that by leveraging the Netherlands' technology and experience along with Bangladesh's production capacity and market potential, it is possible to further strengthen the economic relations between the two countries. He emphasized advancing technical discussions on the FTA and removing non-tariff barriers to maintain Bangladesh's export competitiveness in the European market after LDC graduation.
Discussions were held on using the Netherlands' advanced seed technology, research and modern agricultural management in the agriculture and food processing sector. The minister highlighted the potential for joint initiatives to increase the productivity and quality of potatoes and other vegetables, produce exportable agricultural products, and develop storage and transport systems.
Emphasis was also placed on Dutch technical cooperation in the jute industry through improved seeds, joint research and production of diversified jute products. Discussions were held on the potential to add value to jute products and create new markets through eco-friendly packaging and production of blended fiber fabric.
In addition, cooperation from the Dutch technology company Stamicarbon to modernize Bangladesh's fertilizer factories and increase production capacity, investment in solar and other renewable energy, and development of port infrastructure including Laldia Terminal came up. The use of the experience of the Netherlands research organization Deltares in river and canal dredging, flood control and integrated water management was also discussed.
Netherlands Minister Sjoerd Sjoerdsma expressed interest in expanding cooperation in agricultural and industrial technology, food processing, maritime transport and water management. The meeting also discussed intellectual property protection, modernization of customs procedures, human resource development, and training of young workers and women workers.
Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Md. Ataur Rahman Khan and Netherlands Ambassador to Bangladesh Joris van Bommel, along with representatives of both countries, were present at the meeting.
