BSS, Dhaka :
Bangladesh provides almost nine times in revenue to the United States compared to the bilateral aid it received, according to US government statistics.
Bangladesh’s apparel exports will fetch revenue of almost a billion US dollars, this year, while US bilateral aid to Bangladesh amounts to 126 million US dollars, annually. This, too, is not fully utilised, every year, official figures say.
According to the US Trade Office, on the average Bangladeshi products face a tariff of up to 32 per cent. The average duty and tax in the US on Bangladeshi apparels is 17.5 per cent, according to Alok Chowdhury, a leading apparel exporter to the US.
Asked about the comparative rate for Chinese apparel, the exporter said that it is on official record: Chinese goods, on an average are charged 6 per cent because of their MFN (Most Favored Nation) status.
Queried about why Bangladesh being an Asian Least Developed Country (LDC) and a World Trade Organization (WTO) member does not get the favor of either of the benefits, Kushal Das, another leading exporter says, this is discriminatory but we are trying to do our best under the circumstances.
Both the exporters agreed that Bangladesh exports would have increased many times if they were given the MFN status.
“It is not for us alone to decide about it (US duty). Yes, we have a role and so do our buyers. The Chinese trade lobby played a great role in getting the MFN status, despite Tiananmen Square incident. We have to work together to get either LDC or MFN benefits. And the government of Bangladesh must take the lead. But then, it is true, that the ultimate decision is theirs (US government’s)”, Kushal Das, a leading exporter to the high-end of the US market told BSS.
