High Commission of India

Remarks by High Commissioner of India at the 12^th Asia Pharma Expo at ICCB  Dhaka, Bangladesh 28th February, 2020

His Excellency Mr. Salman Fazlur Rahman, Hon’ble Private industry and Investment Adviser to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh

His Excellency Mr. Nazmul Hassan, Member of Parliament and President Bangladesh Aushad Shilpa Samity 

Major General Mohammad Mahbubur Rahman, Director General of Drug administration, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh

Mr. S M Shafiuzzaman, Secretary General, Bangladesh Aushad Shilpa Samity

Mr. Paresh Jhurmarvala, CEO, GPE Expo Pvt. Ltd.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

1. I am happy to be here at the inauguration of the 12^th edition of Asia Pharma and Lab Expo- an international exhibition covering Complete Pharma Manufacturing industry, jointly organized by the Bangladesh Aushad Shilpa Samity and GPE Expo Private Limited from India.

2. India-Bangladesh relationship is based on history, language, secularism and several other commonalities. Our unique friendship is forged in Liberation War of Bangladesh. It is not an exaggeration to say that very few countries in the world share such fraternal ties as that of ours. Our neighborhood policy follows our Prime Minister’s vision of ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas’, which implies that we prosper together

3. Friends, as we are all aware, economic growth in Bangladesh have been remarkable with the country registering an average GDP growth of over 7% plus per annum in the last few years. With GDP growth rate of 8.13% in the last fiscal year and having already met the criteria to graduate from the LDC status, Bangladesh is poised to become a middle income country by 2021 and a developed nation by 2041.  

4. Under the visionary leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister H.E. Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh has recently released the 2^nd Perspective Plan for the Year 2021-2041.  Health being an important sector, it mentions life expectancy to become 75 years by 2031 and 80 years by 2041,  per capita income is expected to reach US$12500 by 2041 and export earnings for Bangladesh to reach US$150 billion by 2031 and US$300 billion by 2041.   I am certain this will establish Bangladesh not only as Asian tiger but also a global leader. 

5. India attaches utmost importance to her relations with Bangladesh, a close neighbor with whom we share many commonalities. Our bilateral cooperation is extensive and encompasses a wide spectrum of areas including the health and pharmaceuticals sector.

6. We appreciate the progress made by Bangladesh in the health sector and the efforts made in providing health services to all of its citizens. The remarkable strides made by Bangladesh in providing “good health at low cost” are recognized world over and the vibrant pharmaceutical sector of Bangladesh is a major part of this success story.

7. Similarly, India is the largest provider of generic drugs globally. Indian pharmaceutical industries supply over 50 per cent of the global demand for various vaccines, 40 per cent of generic demand in the US and 25 per cent of all medicine in Europe. Over 80 per cent of the antiretroviral drugs used globally to combat AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) are supplied by Indian pharmaceutical firms.

8. Healthcare industry in India is one of the fastest growing sectors and it is expected to reach $280 billion by this year. We have also become one of the leading destinations for high-end diagnostic services owing to tremendous capital investment for advanced diagnostic facilities. As you are aware, a significant number of Bangladesh citizens travel to India for medical tourism purposes. Our Indian Visa Application Centers in Bangladesh process visas at record time, medical visas are given extra attention for obvious reasons.

9. India & Bangladesh are partnering in several health related projects under Indian Lines of Credit extended to Bangladesh. Our Prime Ministers last year jointly inaugurated 36 Community clinics constructed under Indian grant financing in remote areas of five different districts spread in northern and eastern Bangladesh.

10. At this juncture, our Pharma and healthcare industries should look into the possibility of collaboration in upcoming and advanced medical fields like bio-pharmaceuticals, bio-services, bio-agriculture, nano drug delivery systems and robotics in medicine etc. In future, we should look forward to increased partnerships within the integrated global supply chain and consider exporting pharmaceutical goods and medical equipments to the third countries.

11. I was told that more than 650 exhibitors from 31 countries are participating in the 12th Asian Pharma Expo in Dhaka. Of which over 200 plus exhibitors are from Engineering Export Promotion Council of India( EEPC), Pharmaceutical Export Promotion Council of India( Pharmexil) and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industries (FICCI). I want to extend my best wishes to the participants and organizers, I am certain that this Expo will provide necessary opportunity and platform to learn from each other and will also  strengthen the collaboration in the field of pharmaceuticals and medicine.  Once again, may I take this opportunity to thank H.E. Salman Rahman for gracing this occasion.

I wish you all success and luck.

Thank you.

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