"We urge the Dutch government to offer special status to Bangladesh exports especially RMG after expiry of MFA," Abdul Awal Mintoo, president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry, told the inaugural function of a two-day Dutch Catalogue Show in Dhaka.

The Netherlands is the fourth largest European importer of Bangladesh's ready made garment products that enjoy quota facility under multi-fibre arrangement (MFA). The special facility will not exist after this year.

The FBCCI president stressed the need for increasing export to the Netherlands although the current trade position is in favour of Bangladesh mainly because of RMG exports.

In 2002-2003, Bangladesh exported products worth 244 million euros to the Netherlands and imported goods amounted to 77 million euros from that country.

Commerce Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury who inaugurated the catalogue show at Dhaka Sheraton Hotel called upon the Dutch businessmen to make aggressive efforts to invest and expand market in Bangladesh.

"Dutch businessmen are in Bangladesh since the 17th century. They have long business tradition in this subcontinent but now we see little aggressiveness to expand market and make investment here," the minister said.

He said any country can make investment, launch marketing of their products and services and take advantage of the 130 million consumer market in Bangladesh.

"Dutch businessmen should come in a bigger way to consolidate market and improve the trade position," the commerce minister said praising the organisers of the first ever catalogue show of Dutch products and services in Bangladesh.

He also appreciated the Dutch support in different capacity building schemes like Netherlands Management Cooperation Programme (NMCP) for training of entrepreneurs.

Netherlands Ambassador to Bangladesh Sjef Ijzermans said Dutch government wants to expand trade and investment in Bangladesh to improve the trade position.

"Our government agency has forecast that Dutch export is set to be declining in coming years due to rising labour cost. So the government aims to explore market in Asia to reverse the export decline forecast," he said.

Alamgir Hossain, president of Dutch-Bangla Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the chamber will organise a Bangladesh single country fair in Amsterdam in June next to promote Bangladeshi products there.

A similar single country fair for promoting Dutch products and services in Bangladesh will be held in October this year in Dhaka.

The Royal Dutch Embassy in Dhaka and the Dutch-Bangla Chamber of Commerce and Industry is jointly organising the show. It is open to all from 10am to 7pm and the entry is free.

The Netherlands ambassador said similar catalogue shows will be organised soon in Chittagong, Sylhet, Rajshahi and Khulna.