Indian, U.S. businesses keen to invest in Bangladesh: Commerce Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir

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Commerce Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir. (Facebook/Khandakar Muktadir)

Businesses from India and the U.S. have expressed interest in investing in Bangladesh and made proposals to improve the country's investment climate, Commerce Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir has said.

Mr. Muktadir’s remarks on Saturday (August 22, 2026) came after attending a meeting at the Sylhet Metropolitan Police headquarters. He also said that some Indian businesspeople who recently visited Bangladesh have already invested in the country, the state-run BSS news agency reported.

The Commerce Minister's remarks came days after a 14-member Confederation of Indian Industry delegation visited Bangladesh from August 17 to 19 to explore opportunities for expanding bilateral trade, investment and industrial cooperation.

He said that Indian businesspeople have expressed interest in making the land ports between Bangladesh and India fully operational.

“They have said that the closure or limited operation of land ports increases the cost of raw materials for Indian businesses,” he said.

Indian business representatives have also proposed setting up a task force with Bangladeshi businesses for investment in infrastructure and a trust with local businesses for developing digital infrastructure, Mr. Muktadir said, adding that the government had welcomed the proposals.

A U.S. trade delegation has also expressed interest in investing in Bangladesh and made several proposals and suggestions for creating a favourable investment climate, which the government is considering, he said.

India is Bangladesh's second-largest trading partner in Asia after China.

India exported goods worth $9.73 billion to Bangladesh in the 2025-26 fiscal year (till February), while imports from Bangladesh stood at $1.62 billion, taking bilateral trade to $11.35 billion during the period, according to official data.

Under the South Asian Free Trade Area, India provides duty-free and quota-free market access to almost all Bangladeshi products.

On Bangladesh's trade deficit, which currently exceeds $27 billion, Mr. Muktadir said the country had imported more than it exported since independence but stressed the need to expand overall trade.

“We need to increase the overall volume of trade-both exports and imports-many times. The volume of trade should be commensurate with the size of our economy,” he said.