Serbian Foreign Affairs Minister Nikola Selakovic has expressed his country’s interest in investing in the food storage industry of Bangladesh.
The visiting minister expressed his interest during a courtesy call on FBCCI senior vice-president Mostofa Azad Chowdhury Babu on Thursday.
Selakovic said his country's storage companies are one of the best in the world and Bangladesh can also benefit from Serbia's investment in this sector.
“ Serbia has free trade agreements with Europe, the Eurasian Economic Union and Turkey. Bangladesh may benefit by establishing joint ventures and export at zero duty to those free trade countries,” he said.
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He also expressed interest in signing two agreements on double taxation and investment protection and promotion with the government of Bangladesh to increase bilateral trade.
Serbia is also keen to take skilled and semi-skilled manpower from Bangladesh for construction and agriculture sectors, the minister said.
At the same time, the minister urged Bangladeshi students to go to Serbia to study agricultural engineering as the country provides world best facilities of its kind.
In response, Mostofa Azad Chowdhury said that 30 percent of agricultural products are wasted in Bangladesh every year due to lack of packaging, transportation and storage.
The two sides also agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding between the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the FBCCI soon.
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The meeting also discussed import of sunflower seeds, contract cultivation of wheat in Serbia, and establishment of the Serbian Embassy in Dhaka.
Serbia's assistant minister for bilateral relations Vladimir Maric, Foreign Minister's Adviser Ivan Jaksic, FBCCI Vice-President Habib Ullah Dawn, Director Amzad Hossain, Shomi Kaiser, Dr. Nadia Binte Amin, Abul Kasem Khan and Secretary General Mohammad Mahfuzul Hoque, were, among others, present in the meeting.