Bangladesh exporters want duty-free access to US, Brazil

Garment and apparel exporters of Bangladesh are seeking duty-free access to the US and Brazil markets, as these countries export duty-free cotton to it. The US also suspended the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) facilities for Bangladesh back in June 2013. Proposals have already been sent to the US ambassador to Bangladesh and the Brazilian government.

Siddiqur Rahman, president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has written a letter to the US ambassador, asking for duty-free access to the US for RMG products manufactured in Bangladesh.

He also said in the letter that the exports of cotton from the US will grow if apparel made of US cotton receives favourable treatment from the US. This will create a win-win situation for bilateral trade between the US and Bangladesh.

In the letter sent to the Government of Brazil, BGMEA said that Brazil is a potential market for Bangladeshi apparel, however, it has a high import duty of 30-35 per cent. The country has asked for duty-free access to the Brazilian market for Bangladeshi apparel made of cotton imported from Brazil.

BGMEA believes that this arrangement will be profitable for both the countries, according to the Bangladeshi media reports.

The US is the largest export destination for Bangladeshi apparel. Bangladesh earned $5.62 billion in exports from the US in 2015-16. The Asian country earned $41 million in garment exports from Brazil in July-December period of the 2016-17 fiscal, as compared to $75 million during the same time in the previous fiscal.