Automated issuance of GSP certificates from today

The Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) is set to introduce automated issuance of generalised system of preference (GSP) certificates from today (Monday) to check forgery in getting GSP facilities, sources said.
The GSP automation software will connect National Board of Revenue (NBR) and Bangladesh Bank for online verification of respective documents in order to determine the veracity of each consignment for which GSP certificate would be issued.
The software will also provide access to European Commission (EC) and European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) for online verification of exported cargoes and GSP certificates.
The GSP is a trade arrangement through which the European Union (EU) provides preferential access of 176 developing countries to its market and territories including Bangladesh in the form of reduced tariffs for their goods.
Md. Abul Kalam Azad, Director (Textile), of EPB said taking advantage of the weakness of manual issuance of GSP certificates, a section of foreign country exporters mainly those of China in connivance with local people would forge GSP certificates to avail the preferential advantage against their export to EU which hampered the country's overall export growth and tarnished image seriously.
"So we want to make our export risk-free by introducing the GSP automation system," he added.
"We strongly believe that the automated issuance of GSP certificates would eliminate the fraud and forgery associated with GSP certificate considerably," he added.
"Besides, the automation will also make us more accountable and transparent along with enabling to deliver a quick service to the exporters."
However, exporters and trade association leaders hailed the initiative of EPB saying the initiative would positively boost the image of Bangladesh abroad and help increase export there.
"It is a time- befitting initiative; we do hail the EPB authority for the automation," president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), Md. Atiqul Islam told the FE.
"Why we will be lagging behind as the whole world is going online," he questioned.
Mr Islam, however, also urged all the exporters and other officials concerned to provide necessary assistance to the EPB authority, so that the exporters can reap ultimate benefit from the initiative.
"Exporters were facing hassle while issuing GSP. Forgeries were also happening due to the manual system. But, we hope, the problem would be solved once the automated system is proved working properly," president of Exporters' Association of Bangladesh (EAB) Abdus Salam Murshidi told the FE.
However, the EPB has been providing training to the exporters and other stakeholders on how to handle the software.
The authority concerned in the meantime has provided training to more than 2,000 nominees of the export- oriented factories mainly those of garment factories. The training will continue until all the operators are well trained, EPB sources said.
The sources said that any one can operate the software any time from anywhere of the globe as the software has been hosted to America- based organisation 'Amazon Web Server'.
Index IA Limited, a local software company affiliate of Index Capital Group, New York has developed the GSP automation software.
EU has provided the financial support amounting to nearly Tk 20 million to the EPB to develop the software.