TWENTY-FIVE out of 53 Bangladesh missions abroad have failed to achieve their respective export targets for the July-December period of the current fiscal year (2015-16). The key Bangladesh missions like the ones in Brussels, Beijing, Moscow, Rome, The Hague and Geneva have failed to achieve their export targets for the six-month period while some other important missions — Canberra, New Delhi, Tokyo, Singapore, Dubai, Seoul, Jakarta and Washington —have been able to reach their targets for the July-December period.
The overall export earnings for the July-December period amounted to $16083.90 million against the strategic target of $15865 million, showing a growth of 1.38 percent over the strategic target. Of the 53 Bangladesh missions, 28 met their respective export targets set for the period, according to the latest statistics provided by the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB).
The EPB figures revealed that out of the 18 Bangladesh missions having commercial wings, only 12 have achieved their export targets while six others could not achieve their respective targets. The highest earnings over the six-month period, some $ 3097.95 million — almost one-fifth of total exports — were registered by the Washington mission, followed by the mission in Berlin which accounted for $2,561.12 million and London $1851.68 million. The strong showing from EU member states continued with the Madrid mission fetching $912.59 million during the July-December period. The next was the Bangladesh mission in Italy, which earned almost $663.58 million, followed by missions in Ottawa with approximately $521.52 million. The New Delhi mission managed to fetch only $ 321.08 million.
One can clearly see a pattern here as results for the last half Fiscal Year closely mirror that for the FY 2014-15.The strongest performers remain the missions in Washington, Berlin and London — but they are also the ones who also failed to achieve their targets in the last fiscal year. So either the level of target set was too high or inefficiency among the mission staff in promoting our local businesses abroad can be to blame for the shortage.
However, other factors may also be at work. Traditionally our historic markets have been the USA and the EU — so it is no surprise that they remain among our top export markets .Russia, Iran and India have not traditionally been our top export destinations. It is therefore entirely possible that the setting up of targets was arbitrary or excessive but one cannot at the same time rule out the need for our diplomats to enhance and promote our domestic goods and services more. Focusing on new areas such as tourism could be a very easy way to promote more export earnings for the country. More proactive and efficient officials can also be sent to enhance the image of our country.
