3 min readAgartalaSep 14, 2023 04:36 PM IST
First published on: Sep 14, 2023 at 04:18 PM IST
Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Anupriya Patel has said Tripura is ranked fourth among Himalayan states in terms of export to foreign nations, especially Bangladesh, and that export quantum has significantly grown in the last few years.
Patel, who is on a two-day visit to the northeastern state, Wednesday visited different parts of Sepahijala district and reviewed the progress of development initiatives and centrally-sponsored welfare schemes in the district.
Apart from sharing an 856-km-long international border with Bangladesh, Sepahijala district has a Land Customs Station with the neighbouring country at Srimantapur and an inland waterways connectivity port.
After a detailed discussion with Tripura Industry Development Corporation chairperson Nabadal Banik, Sepahijala District Magistrate Vishal Kumar, MLA Tafajjal Hossain and others, the union minister expressed hopes about increasing the trade opportunities with Bangladesh.
She said Tripura, which is surrounded by the foreign country on three sides, has a good scope for bilateral trade development.
Referring to the latest figures, the minister said that Tripura’s export trade volume with Bangladesh has increased in recent times. Patel said her department has worked out a comprehensive strategy to develop bilateral trade in the region. She said further funding for infrastructure development of Border Haats, setting up Special Economic Zones (SEZ), unity malls and land customs stations to facilitate border trade and economic growth would be done.
The minister also said the Commerce and Industries Ministry has also taken a host of steps to promote rubber cultivation in the North East region and added that her department has a target to cover two lakh hectares of land area in the region under rubber plantation in a time-bound manner.
Conference on boosting historical connectivity between India and Bangladesh
Meanwhile, Ministry of External Affairs Joint Secretary (Bangladesh and Myanmar) Smita Panth Wednesday participated in a conference on exploring new trade routes from India’s northeast to the Bay of Bengal via Bangladesh Transit Agreement. It focused on boosting historical connectivity between India and Bangladesh with stress on logistical challenges that hinder trade, including high transportation costs.
The conference was attended by Chairman of the Land Port Authority of India Aditya Mishra, Assistant High Commissioner of Bangladesh in Agartala Arif Mohammad and members of trade and commerce bodies.
The speakers discussed logistic challenges that cause problems to trade apart from big transportation charges etc that hinder the growth of trade and commerce in the region, figuring out new connectivity routes and infratech development to enhance trade and public connection across borders.
The joint secretary said the trade volume with Bangladesh reached $18 billion and said efficient connectivity routes like rail and inland water transport are focused on to reduce environmental and cost reduction.
She also reviewed the progress of forthcoming connectivity routes with Bangladesh such as the Agartala-Akhaura rail route in West Tripura and said bilateral connectivity projects were given significant financial commitments.
Assistant High Commissioner Arif Mohammad stressed on crucial connectivity routes between India and Bangladesh, passing through Tripura including road, rail, and waterways.
Patel, who is on a two-day visit to the northeastern state, visited different parts of Sepahijala district and reviewed the progress of development initiatives and centrally-sponsored welfare schemes in the district. (X formerly known as Twitter/ Anupriya Patel) 
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