Commerce minister Tofail Ahmed on Thursday said export receipts bounced back in August because of higher placement of orders for Bangladeshi goods by the overseas buyers. The exports fetched $ 2.71 billion last month with 27 per cent growth over August of 2014, he told reporters after a meeting with visiting officials of Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, at his secretariat office. The country suffered a significant drop in export earnings in July, contracting about 12 per cent over the same month of last year to $2.6 billion. The export earnings were $2.9 billion in July, 2014. Tofail said export orders dropped in the previous months because of months-long political programme sponsored by Bangladesh Nationalist Party. But things have changed after political stability was restored, he claimed, adding that the international buyers were receiving positive signals. Former US ambassador James F Moriarty, also the executive director of the Alliance, led the delegation to discuss progress over 16-point programme the government had committed to implement for ensuring work environment and other compliances in the apparel industry. The US on July 19, 2013 had set 16-point action plan as preconditions to reinstate GSP facility for Bangladeshi products. In the action plan, the US suggested that Bangladesh should create a publicly accessible database involving all the apparel factories. Such a data platform will be entitled to reporting of labour issues, fire incidents, building inspections, including information on the factories and locations, violations, fines and sanctions administered. It would also monitor factories being closed or relocated, violations remediated, and the names of the lead inspectors. Tofail noted that Bangladesh fulfilled all the commitments in line with agreements with the Alliance. Those accomplishments were gradually made after the devastating Rana Plaza collapse in April 2013 that had killed more than 1,300 workers. He, however, said there would be no trade unionism in export processing zones, the country’s special economic zones. The minister said the government was working on restoration of GSP, a duty waiver scheme of the US government which was scrapped by Washington for lack of safety compliance in the burgeoning apparel sector. He said a series of meetings will be held with US officials in the coming months as part of restoration of GSP.
