US CBP team holds wrap-up meeting with govt today

Doulot Akter Mala | Published: May 25, 2008 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

A three-member team of US customs and border protection (CBP) visited country's 30 readymade garment (RMG) units over the past ten days to see whether there was any abuse of trade facility offered to Bangladesh.

The visit by CBP has been prompted by an allegation that the exporters of China, which faces quota restriction on textile export to the USA, are using Bangladesh in connivance with the local exporters to enjoy the trade facility.

The team, which arrived in Bangladesh early this month, will hold a wrap up meeting with the Bangladesh government today (Sunday) to make initial observation about its visit to the factories.

Representatives from the customs department and Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) accompanied the three-member team during the visit.

Talking to the FE Saturday, EPB director textile Rakibur Rahman said: "We will be able to know the observation of the US team at the wrap up meeting on Sunday."

The team will leave Dhaka Monday, he said.

Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) president Anwar-ul Huq Parvez said: "The team mainly visited Dhaka-based factories as per their schedule."

The US team has visited some selected RMG factories, which have been exporting textile products to the US market.

"So far I know, the US team is quite satisfied with its visit to the factories," he added.

He said: "The team has come with some invoices, but as I have come to know that it has not found any relation of those with the local factories."

The CBP has worked with Bangladeshi authorities to determine whether the goods, which they claimed to have produced, actually existed or not. It wanted to see whether those manufacturers are at all capable of producing the goods as claimed, officials said.

The CBP has also explored the increase in importations from Bangladesh of commodities that would be subject to quota if they had been produced in China.

It also wants to ensure that the exports are the result of increased production in Bangladesh, the officials said.