Bay of Bengal Integration: The New Agenda

Abstract

BIMSTEC is a unique regional cooperation initiative in terms of geographical contiguity and access to ocean.

Appendix 1

Export potential (US$ billion)

Reporter	Partner	Actual	Potential
India	Bangladesh	5.67	36.46
India	Bhutan	0.37	0.08
India	Myanmar	1.14	14.55
India	Nepal	4.53	2.03
India	Sri Lanka	4.12	15.38
India	Thailand	2.96	192.76
Bangladesh	India	0.68	37.23
Bangladesh	Bhutan	na	na
Bangladesh	Myanmar	0.02	15.67
Bangladesh	Nepal	na	na
Bangladesh	Sri Lanka	0.03	19.47
Bangladesh	Thailand	0.06	37.85
Bhutan	India	0.13	0.01
Bhutan	Bangladesh	na	na
Bhutan	Myanmar	na	na
Bhutan	Nepal	na	na
Bhutan	Sri Lanka	*	0.14
Bhutan	Thailand	*	0.14
Myanmar	India	1.04	10.63
Myanmar	Bangladesh	0.02	11.65
Myanmar	Bhutan	*	0.46
Myanmar	Nepal	*	6.55
Myanmar	Sri Lanka	*	11.66
Myanmar	Thailand	2.24	9.43
Nepal	India	0.38	0.33
Nepal	Bangladesh	na	na
Nepal	Bhutan	na	na
Nepal	Myanmar	*	0.71
Nepal	Sri Lanka	*	0.71
Nepal	Thailand	*	0.71
Sri Lanka	India	0.76	9.79
Sri Lanka	Bangladesh	0.12	10.43
Sri Lanka	Bhutan	*	0.46
Sri Lanka	Myanmar	*	10.54
Sri Lanka	Nepal	*	6.55
Sri Lanka	Thailand	0.03	10.51
Thailand	India	5.12	208.47
Thailand	Bangladesh	0.93	41.21
Thailand	Bhutan	0.02	0.43
Thailand	Myanmar	4.14	11.55
Thailand	Nepal	0.06	6.48
Thailand	Sri Lanka	0.43	19.07

1. Notes *Very negligible trade. na—not available
2. The indicative potential trade has been computed for each 6-digit product. The supply is represented by the exports of the selected country to the world. The demand is represented by the imports of the selected partner country from the world. The minimum between the two from which the bilateral trade is subtracted is the indicative potential trade. In a formal way, the unrealised trade potential for any commodity between India and Mongolia is given by [Min (Yi, Xj)—Zij], where Yi, Xj and Zij are country i’s global exports, country j’s global imports and existing trade between the country i (exporter) and country j (importer), respectively. Products having trade potential were identified as those with (a) adequate demand in the importing country and (b) adequate supply capabilities in the exporting country. The caveat is that the estimates of trade potential have to be treated with caution as they are merely indicative of the untapped trade possibilities. The estimate of trade potential is the maximum possible trade that two countries can have if they sourced all items from each other which they sourced from the rest of the world, ceteris paribus. The estimates also vary depending on the year of reference
3. Source ITC Trade Map based on www.trademap.org