Indian Business Delegation Proposes Trade Taskforces in Bangladesh

A 14-member high-level delegation from the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), led by Director General Chandrajit Banerjee, visited Dhaka from August 17 to 19, 2026, to expand bilateral trade and industrial cooperation. The delegation, which included representatives from the Mahindra Group, Larsen & Toubro, and Indian Oil Corporation, met with senior Bangladeshi officials and business leaders to strengthen business-to-business linkages.

During a meeting with Commerce Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir, the CII proposed creating two joint taskforces focused on digital transformation and infrastructure investment and financing. Minister Muktadir welcomed the proposal, noting that Bangladesh requires significant investment in ports, highways, railways, and LNG infrastructure to reach a trillion-dollar economy. He specifically highlighted cargo handling inefficiencies at the Benapole land port as a primary bottleneck increasing transportation costs.

As the visit concluded, Rupali Haque Chowdhury, President of the Bangladesh Foreign Investors' Chamber of Commerce & Industry, urged Indian firms to move beyond trading and establish manufacturing plants in Bangladesh to facilitate technology and knowledge transfer. These economic initiatives proceed despite diplomatic uncertainty surrounding a proposed visit to India by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, which remains complicated by the extradition issue of Sheikh Hasina.