Bangladesh-Malaysia FTA seen as gateway to ASEAN exports

Bangladesh’s trade with Malaysia remains heavily imbalanced, but business leaders and policymakers say a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) could unlock new opportunities in Malaysia and across ASEAN. According to the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), Bangladesh exported goods worth $293.51 million to Malaysia in the 2023–24 fiscal year, while imports from Malaysia stood at $2,604 million. That left bilateral trade at $2.9 billion, with the balance overwhelmingly in Malaysia’s favour. Most of Bangladesh’s exports to Malaysia come from the ready-made garment sector, accounting for $188 million of the total. Other promising sectors — including agro-processed products and frozen foods — remain underutilised, mainly due to tariffs as high as 30 percent. By contrast, rival countries such as India and Pakistan already...