BGMEA again seeks duty benefit for apparel made from US cotton

In a gap of a month, Bangladeshi garment makers have sent their second letter to the US senators and governors seeking duty-free benefit on export of locally made apparels made from imported American cotton.

Last month, the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) sent their first letter to Greg Abbott, governor of Texas; Ted Cruz senator from Texas, and Peter Haas, US ambassador to Bangladesh.

On April 4, a similar letter was sent to John Boozman, senator for Arkansas; Jon Ossoff, senator for Georgia, and Kevin McCarthy, speaker of the house and congressman of California's 20th congressional district.

The second letter was also sent to Raphael Warnock, senator for Georgia; Sarah Huckabee Sanders, governor of the states of Arkansas; Tom Cotton, senator for Arkansas, and Brian P Kemp, governor of the states of Georgia.

The BGMEA mentioned in the letter that Bangladesh government eased the rules of mandatory fumigation tests on February 19 for importing cotton from Western Hemisphere countries or regions that covers the USA.

The relaxation of the rule will certainly make trades easier, reduce time and cost of importing US cotton, the garment makers' platform said.

Bangladesh's garments face 15.62 per cent tariff in the US market.

Bangladesh, the world's second largest apparel exporting country, has 6.37 per cent share in global apparel trade, according to the BGMEA.

In 2022, Bangladesh's apparel export reached $45.71 billion, around 71.89 per cent or $32.86 billion of which was cotton garments.

Despite the challenges, including the Covid-19 pandemic, Bangladesh's apparel shipment rose 8.73 per cent annually in the last 10 years, which reflects the country's potential in the world market, the BGMEA said in the letter to the US.