Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed came down heavily Wednesday on US Ambassador Dan W Mozena's comment that Bangladesh pays 'zero tariff' for exporting its products to the US market.
"The US does not give duty-free access to Bangladeshi products for entering the country," he said, dismissing the US envoy's claim.
The commerce minister was speaking at a programme, organised by Bangladesh Indenting Agencies Association (BIAA) in celebration of achieving ISO 9001 certification.
The minister said Mr. Mozena's claim that Bangladesh pays 'zero tariff' for exporting its products to the US is totally 'false'.
He also mentioned that the US provides zero duty facility for the products of Sub-Saharan and African countries, but not for those of Bangladesh despite repeated requests.
The US envoy at a programme on Tuesday said, "Bangladesh pays zero … zero … zero tariff." He uttered the word 'zero' thrice with a dramatic emphasis.
Mr Tofail also repeated the word 'false' thrice, totally trashing Mr. Mozena's statement.
The commerce minister said the US provided Bangladesh only $ 24m in the form of Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) facility, but the country has suspended it.
He claimed that Bangladesh paid $ 3.41 billion duty to the US in last three years.
The minister also opined that a conspiracy is going on against the RMG sector of Bangladesh, as it is the second largest exporter of garment products.
"The US imposed 16 conditions on us after the Rana Plaza tragedy. We have forwarded our report to the United States Trade Representative (USTR) after fulfilling those conditions."
"But, now they are again saying that we have to do more. Actually their conditions will not come to an end," he added.
Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) President Kazi Akram Uddin Ahmed, in his speech on the occasion, said achieving ISO 9001 certification is a big news for the indenting industry.
Bangladesh Insurance Association (BIA) President Sheikh Kabir Hossain, and BIAA President KMH Shahidul Haque and vice-president Mahtab Hossain Bishwas also spoke at the event.
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