MoC to send official to USA to look into duty-free access issue
Thursday, 31 March 2011
Syful Islam
The Ministry of Commerce is planning to send one of its officials on special assignment to look into the issues of duty-free access of Bangladeshi goods to the US market. The move is being taken, according to official sources, in the backdrop of a stalemate over the duty-free access issue. There has not been much progress relating to duty-free access of Bangladeshi goods to the US market, a Dhaka diplomat stationed at Washington DC told the FE. "It's an issue that is very much linked to the politico-economic relations between Bangladesh and the United States. In reality, there has not yet been much progress on getting duty-free access of Bangladeshi goods there," the diplomat said, preferring anonymity. He said the bilateral relation between the two countries has deteriorated in recent days centring Grameen Bank managing director Prof Yunus's removal from the bank and thus Dhaka is not getting expected cooperation from Washington. Meanwhile, the commerce ministry officials said the government is trying both bilaterally and multilaterally to get the duty-free access. The ministry is planning to send an officer to Washington with special assignment to look into the issue. "We have a plan to send an officer to Washington soon to look into the matter and help the officials of the Bangladesh mission to negotiate on this particular issue," Commerce Secretary M Ghulam Hossain told the FE early this week. Bangladesh's permanent representative in Geneva last week sought from the ministry of commerce a list of goods on which his office will negotiate to get duty-free access to the US market. "Once the US makes a commitment in a multilateral platform like World Trade Organsiation (WTO), it will have no chance to make a U-turn. So, we are trying in both ways," another official of the ministry said. In 2008 the ministry of commerce sent a list of nine products, mainly of garment, to the Geneva office for negotiation. "This time we will consider the existing duty, the possible rate of duty after the conclusion of Doha deal, and the rate of export growth before selecting goods," the official said. Once the Doha deal concludes, the tariff rate will come down to 8.0 per cent globally meaning that no duty will be over 8.0 per cent for any goods in any country.
The Ministry of Commerce is planning to send one of its officials on special assignment to look into the issues of duty-free access of Bangladeshi goods to the US market. The move is being taken, according to official sources, in the backdrop of a stalemate over the duty-free access issue. There has not been much progress relating to duty-free access of Bangladeshi goods to the US market, a Dhaka diplomat stationed at Washington DC told the FE. "It's an issue that is very much linked to the politico-economic relations between Bangladesh and the United States. In reality, there has not yet been much progress on getting duty-free access of Bangladeshi goods there," the diplomat said, preferring anonymity. He said the bilateral relation between the two countries has deteriorated in recent days centring Grameen Bank managing director Prof Yunus's removal from the bank and thus Dhaka is not getting expected cooperation from Washington. Meanwhile, the commerce ministry officials said the government is trying both bilaterally and multilaterally to get the duty-free access. The ministry is planning to send an officer to Washington with special assignment to look into the issue. "We have a plan to send an officer to Washington soon to look into the matter and help the officials of the Bangladesh mission to negotiate on this particular issue," Commerce Secretary M Ghulam Hossain told the FE early this week. Bangladesh's permanent representative in Geneva last week sought from the ministry of commerce a list of goods on which his office will negotiate to get duty-free access to the US market. "Once the US makes a commitment in a multilateral platform like World Trade Organsiation (WTO), it will have no chance to make a U-turn. So, we are trying in both ways," another official of the ministry said. In 2008 the ministry of commerce sent a list of nine products, mainly of garment, to the Geneva office for negotiation. "This time we will consider the existing duty, the possible rate of duty after the conclusion of Doha deal, and the rate of export growth before selecting goods," the official said. Once the Doha deal concludes, the tariff rate will come down to 8.0 per cent globally meaning that no duty will be over 8.0 per cent for any goods in any country.