BD seeks special tariff benefit for its products in US market

Bangladesh sought Monday a preferential treatment on Bangladeshi products to the US market like Sub-Saharan African and Caribbean countries considering its extreme ‘vulnerability’ due to climate change.
Bangladesh also demanded duty- and quota-free access to the US market under ‘Bali Package’ as the US imposes high tariff on Bangladeshi products, according to a news agency.
Commerce Secretary Mahbub Ahmed said this at a joint press conference after the first-ever meeting of Trade and Investment Cooperation Forum Agreement (Ticfa) between Dhaka and Washington at Sonargaon Hotel in the city.
Leader of the US delegation Assistant US Trade Representative for South Asia Michael J Delaney, Labour Secretary Mikail Shipar, US Ambassador Dan W Mozena and Foreign Ministry Director General (DG-America) Mahfuzur Rahman were also present.
The Commerce Secretary said the USA provides preferential treatment to some Sub-Saharan African and Caribbean countries as the US thinks those countries are more vulnerable than Bangladesh.
Bangladesh also explained that the country has a huge population and it needs a wider market access to its products, he added.
Expressing satisfaction over the Ticfa meeting, US delegation chief Delaney characterised it as a very productive, pragmatic and a problem-solving oriented event.
“We discussed a wide range of trade and investment issues and ways to boost US Bangladesh trade and investment,” he said.
Delaney said they basically tried to look at where they are right now in terms of GSP Action Plan implementation and recommended that more works need to be done.
Ticfa is a mechanism for dealing with specific trade and investment issues. The US-Bangladesh Ticfa seeks to further bolster annual two-way trade between the United States and Bangladesh, which exceeded $6 billion in 2013.