Leaving out Bangladesh despite Dhaka’s arduous efforts for the trade concession, the United States has extended until 2017 its generalized system of preferences (GSP) facility for 122 countries that include all other SAARC members. According to the official website of the USTR (United States Trade Representative) the US President signed on July 29 the Trade Preferences Extension Act of 2015 that reauthorizes the GSP Programme until December 31, 2017. The renewal came after that the previous one expired in July 2013. As provided in the Act, duty-free treatment of GSP-eligible imports will take effect from July 29, 2015. The 122 favoured countries include SAARC members India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Afghanistan. Only Bangladesh is not found among them. “The Trade Preferences Extension Act of 2015 reauthorization of GSP provides retroactive benefits only to goods from a country that is a beneficiary of the GSP program as of July 29, 2015. As such, this excludes countries such as Bangladesh and Russia that lost eligibility between July 31, 2013 and July 29, 2015,” according to the US federal register 144 notice of volume 80. The US suspended the GSP trade benefits for Bangladesh in July 2013 following tragedies in the Rana Plaza building collapse and Tazreen Fashions factory fire that killed more than 1,200 workers. Industry people termed the exclusion of Bangladesh from the beneficiary list ‘unfortunate’. Asked about such a development on the country’s trade front, Senior Secretary at Commerce Ministry Hedayet ullah Al Mamoon said, “We have met almost all the conditions outlined in the US action plan and we expect that our efforts will be reflected in its future action.” Both the countries have excellent bilateral and trade relations, he claimed, adding the issue would be resolved through discussion. Terming the exclusion of Bangladesh from the US GSP ‘unfortunate’, President of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Md Atiqul Islam said the country’s garment sector is working with two western coalitions–Accord and Alliance–to improve the workplace safety and labour rights. “Though garment products do not enjoy the GSP facility, it seriously hampers the image of the country,” he added. In 2012, the total value of US imports from Bangladesh under GSP was $34.7 million. The top GSP imports from Bangladesh included tobacco, sport equipment, porcelain china, and plastic products.
