Action against missions failing to achieve export targets under study
Thursday, 16 August 2007
Sarwar Zahan
The commerce ministry might take action against diplomatic missions that have failed to achieve the export targets set for them, ministry sources said.
The ministry is concerned about the failure of more than 50 per cent of the missions abroad in reaching export targets, they said.
The government has decided to appoint persons working in different ministries with background in trade promotion as commercial attachés in the missions abroad for overcoming the situation, ministry sources added.
Sources further said inefficiency of related persons in several missions has led to continuous failure in achieving export targets in respective countries. The government is determined to change the trend.
The Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) has also requested the commerce ministry to take effective measures for activating the missions to achieve their respective targets of export earnings, EPB sources said.
The country maintains 44 foreign missions abroad, of which 16 have commercial wings to exclusively promote and expand export markets for Bangladeshi goods. Only seven of them have shown success in achieving respective export target, EPB sources said.
They further said the latest trade performance assessment of the missions confirmed that only 21 out of total 44 missions had showed success in reaching the set targets of export in respective countries. The rest twenty-three missions jointly achieved nearly 63 per cent of the total target set for them.
The discouraging performance of majority of the missions in promoting and exploiting export markets have been attributed to lack of skilled and competent persons. The absence of professional personnel in export market promotion has aggravated the situation, the EPB sources said.
However, the export earning last fiscal stood at $ 12.18 billion against a target of $ 12.50 billion, the sources disclosed.
The commerce ministry sources said the government recognises the importance of commercial wings, as sixteen missions with such support contributed about 80 per cent to the total export earnings in the past fiscal.
The commerce ministry might take action against diplomatic missions that have failed to achieve the export targets set for them, ministry sources said.
The ministry is concerned about the failure of more than 50 per cent of the missions abroad in reaching export targets, they said.
The government has decided to appoint persons working in different ministries with background in trade promotion as commercial attachés in the missions abroad for overcoming the situation, ministry sources added.
Sources further said inefficiency of related persons in several missions has led to continuous failure in achieving export targets in respective countries. The government is determined to change the trend.
The Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) has also requested the commerce ministry to take effective measures for activating the missions to achieve their respective targets of export earnings, EPB sources said.
The country maintains 44 foreign missions abroad, of which 16 have commercial wings to exclusively promote and expand export markets for Bangladeshi goods. Only seven of them have shown success in achieving respective export target, EPB sources said.
They further said the latest trade performance assessment of the missions confirmed that only 21 out of total 44 missions had showed success in reaching the set targets of export in respective countries. The rest twenty-three missions jointly achieved nearly 63 per cent of the total target set for them.
The discouraging performance of majority of the missions in promoting and exploiting export markets have been attributed to lack of skilled and competent persons. The absence of professional personnel in export market promotion has aggravated the situation, the EPB sources said.
However, the export earning last fiscal stood at $ 12.18 billion against a target of $ 12.50 billion, the sources disclosed.
The commerce ministry sources said the government recognises the importance of commercial wings, as sixteen missions with such support contributed about 80 per cent to the total export earnings in the past fiscal.