Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud recently told the Jatiya Sangsad that the United States had never provided duty-free and quota-free facilities for the import of garments from Bangladesh. The Minister came up with the disclosure at the question and answer session at the parliament’s ongoing budget session.
Responding to a question from Jatiya Party chief whip Mujibul Haque Chunnu, the minister said that the import duty imposed by the US on garment products is uniform for Bangladesh like other competing countries in light of the World Trade Organisation’s Most Favoured Nation policy.
‘Even while Bangladesh was under the US GSP facility, garment products were excluded from the MFN policy. Without this advantage, the United States has become the single largest market for Bangladesh’s garment exports through open competition,’ he said.
The US has not yet reintroduced its GSP facility for Bangladesh after it expired in December 2020, the minister said, adding that diplomatic efforts of the government is going on to include Bangladesh under the GSP facility and bring garment products under the GSP.
He said Bangladesh regularly raises this demand in the Bangladesh-United States Annual Trade Dialogue.
In addition, the Bangladesh government has also raised the demand for duty-free access to the US market for garments and textile products made with cotton purchased from the United States, he said.
