Bangladesh is keen to collaborate with India on various fronts such including supply chain, technology and textile education. Bangladesh is the world’s second largest readymade garment exporter and India is the second largest producer of manmade fiber and textile fabrics.

Bangladesh feels it can work with India for creating a supply chain, where it can source the raw material like cotton and manmade fiber, yarn and textiles and convert them into fashion apparels. In 2015-16, Bangladesh’s garment exports to India grew by 31 per cent. Bangladesh’s overall exports to India increased by 30.82 per cent at the same time.

Besides being the top cotton producer in the world, India possesses huge capacities for producing yarn and fabric, and is also among the largest manufacturers of manmade fibers, yarn and fabric. As a neighbor, India is ideally positioned to supply these inputs at lower prices and with lower lead times to the Bangladesh readymade garment industry.

Connectivity offers a game-changing opportunity for India and Bangladesh. This is pivotal to India’s connectivity with its north-eastern region and with countries of Asean. Equal emphasis on physical and institutional connectivity between India and Bangladesh will facilitate the exploration of more opportunities through trade and investment.