Trade Consignment Mapping for Better Regional Connectivity in South Asia

CUTS International along with its partners has undertaken this study to assess the trade facilitation requirements to improve some of the most important overland trade corridors in South Asia. The purpose of the study is to identify the bottlenecks present along selected overland trade corridors between India – Pakistan, Nepal – India and Nepal – Bangladesh. This project, supported by The Asia Foundation, will assess the cost incurred in transporting a consignment from origin to destination along these corridors.

The study aims to generate awareness about important trade facilitation requirements and appropriate policy remedies amongst relevant policy makers and prioritisation of policy measures in the context of new transport projects. It will also help in identification of possible implementation concerns of the multilateral agreements on trade facilitation which is likely be signed during the WTO ministerial conference which is to be held at Bali and help to form unilateral or bilateral policy measures in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and India.

The duration of this project is of 12 months from October 2013 to September 2014

The goal of the project is to contribute to the enhancement of intra-regional trade in South Asia through better trade facilitation measures, by finding answers to important questions vis-à-vis trade facilitation in South Asia and using those answers to influence future policy making on trade facilitation.

The study will address the following questions:

What are major cargo transport and transit problems faced by traders in selected cross-border trade corridors in South Asia?
How does existing conditions (infrastructure and regulations dealing with trade-related services including customs procedures) in selected cross-border trade corridors affect the cost of doing trade?
What are the necessary policy and practice changes that are needed to enhance the efficiency of selected cross-border trade corridors and reduce the cost of doing trade?
What are the policy and practice learning that would help in better implementation of proposed future projects on cross-border trade corridors in South Asia?

In order to achieve the goals and objectives, the project will focus on three important trade corridors which account for about one third of total trade between Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan. The trade corridors that have been selected are the following:

Islamabad – Lahore – Attari/Wagha LCS – Ludhiana – Delhi

Kathmandu- Hetadua – Birgunj/Raxaul LCS – Kolkata

Kathmandu – Kakarvitta/ Panitanki LCS – Phulbari/ Banglabandha LCS – Hatikumrul – Dhaka

The activities that would be carried out under the project are:

Activities	Purpose
Literature review (October 2013 – December 2013)	It will help in increasing the understanding of trade facilitation issues It will also give a narrative account of the current state of trade facilitation
Inception Workshop (December 2013)	To launch and present a brief about the new research topic To discuss the need and thrust of the topic to push the agenda further
Field Research Workshop (January 2014)	To train the participants who would be involved in the mapping process in field research
Field Research (Trade Consignment Mapping) ( February 2014- April 2014)	To assess the real situation along these trade corridors To understand the possible benefits from future reforms
Country Meetings ( July 2014- August 2014)	To present and discuss the draft report with stakeholders
Preparation of Database and Policy Memoranda (September 2014)	To disseminate the findings of the project To create database on cost of doing cross-border trade and related trade facilitation measures to address/overcome them

The following outcomes are expected from this project:

Increase in awareness about the most important trade facilitation requirements amongst the relevant policy-makers and prioritisation of policy measures in the context of new transport and transit projects that are underway and/or proposed

Identification of possible implementation concerns via-a-vis the Multilateral Agreement on Trade Facilitation which will help these countries in placing those concerns to the WTO Committee on Trade Facilitation and will, in turn, help them in articulating their technical assistance and capacity building needs in implementing this Agreement

Unilateral and/or bilateral policy measures taken by Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan for trade facilitation reforms in three most important cross-border trade corridors in South Asia

Indo-Nepal Dialogue on Trade Facilitation and Commercial Access through Raxaul-Birgunj: Stakeholders Perspective
April 16, 2015, Birgunj, Nepal

India-Nepal trade through Panitanki-Kakarvitta: Challenges and the way forward
February 20, 2015, Panitanki, West Bengal

Trade Consignment Mapping for better Regional Connectivity in South Asia
November 23, 2014, Islamabad

Trade, Transport and Transit Facilitation in South Asia
Imperative of Bridging Macro-Meso-Micro Gaps
October 29-30, 2014, Kolkata, India

Dissemination Meeting on “Trade Consignment Mapping for better Regional Connectivity in South Asia”
October 20, 2014, Dhaka

Trade Consignment Mapping for better Regional Connectivity in South Asia (TCM-SA)
Project Inception Meeting
February 21, 2014, New Delhi

Infrastructure deficit slows cross-border trade
The Daily Star, October 21, 2014

Development of Banglabandha land port suggested
The Independent, October 21, 2014

India-Nepal Border Summit: A CUTS Report
Birgunj Nepal, 19-20 February, 2015

Trade Consignment Mapping in South Asia: A Study of Three SAARC Corridors

Unnayan Shamannay, Dhaka

South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics and Environment, Nepal