BGMEA urges UK to extend duty-free market access
Staff Reporter :
The country’s apparel exporters have urged for duty-free market access to the United Kingdom (UK) beyond 2026 after Bangladesh’s graduation from the list of least developed countries (LDC).
“I would like to repeat our request to kindly consider an extended transition time up to 2032, as you know that the industry and global fashion industry is severely impacted by the pandemic,” said Faruque Hassan, President of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) in a letter.
The letter was sent to the British High Commissioner in Bangladesh Sarah Cooke recently.
In the letter, the BGMEA president thanked the British High Commissioner for organising the dialogue on the UK’s new Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS) and opportunities for Bangladesh.
“We express our deepest gratitude to the Government of the United Kingdom for introducing such a trade and development friendly tariff scheme which will further contribute to Bangladesh’s industry and economy,” the BGMEA chief added.
The association also said the Bangladeshi apparel exporters are still suffering from post-pandemic turbulence, especially the disruption in buyers sourcing pattern, fuel price hike initially leading to abnormal inflation and now countries are taking measures to curb inflation which is impacting disposable income and consumer spending.
“Furthermore, we need to prepare ourselves with the right investments and readjustment of our facilities,” Faruque Hassan said.
According to the letter, UK is the third largest apparel export destination for Bangladesh as the country exported $5.02 billion worth of clothing to the UK in the fiscal year 2022-23, which was 11.78 per cent higher than the previous fiscal year.
“There are already a good number of British investments made in our RMG industry operating quite successfully.
I believe the DCTS will pave the way for further intensifying our trade relations.” the BGMEA president said in the letter.
“We wish to stay engaged and updated.
Let me also take the opportunity to mention that in the past decade, Bangladesh has made significant strides in ensuring the safety, well-being, and empowerment of workers in the RMG sector,” he said.
Bangladesh’s RMG industry is progressively transitioning towards greener and cleaner production methods, with an impressive 202 LEED-certified green factories, of which, 73 have achieved the prestigious LEED Platinum certification.
In recent months top officials of several global Brands have visited Bangladesh to see the progress, the BGMEA chief said.
