Trade officials hope for a major breakthrough in reinstating GSP facility for Bangladeshi goods to the American market taking advantage of renewed Dhaka-Washington ties under new administration of President Joe Biden.
“The new US administration led by Joe Biden is expected to restore Bangladesh’s GSP facility considering its overall progress in the areas of labour rights and workplace safety in local garments industry,” a senior Commerce Ministry official told The New Nation yesterday asking not to be named.
He said Bangladesh looks forward to working with the next US administration to further strengthen Dhaka-Washington bilateral relations once it assumes charge.
Newly elected US President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris would be sworn in on January 20.
“Bangladesh will send a letter to the United States Trade Representative (USTR) requesting to restore GSP facility for Bangladesh after US President-elect Joe Biden takes office,” said the Commerce Ministry official.
He also said that Washington assured Dhaka of reconsidering the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) facility for Bangladeshi goods to the US market in the latest TICFA meeting between Bangladesh and the USA.
“We have pushed for reintroduction of the GSP in the TICFA meetings. But nothing was happened under the Trump administration. Now, we will strongly pursue the issue as the US gets a new government,” he added.
The official further said the American GSP facility programme for various countries was set to expire on December 31, 2020. Then the new US administration is expected to make a review in the scheme with inclusion of Bangladesh as a GSP eligible country.
Bangladesh was suspended from the GSP in 2013 as a result of concerns over workers’ rights and safety shortly after the Rana Plaza building collapse that killed over 1,100 people, most of them garment workers.
