A total of 49 countries of the world have given duty-free access of Bangladeshi products, Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed has said.
The commerce minister said this replying to a written query from treasury bench member Begum Pinu Khan in the House on Sunday, reports BSS.
The 28 European Union countries, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, Japan, Turkey, Canada and Russia have allowed duty-free access of 71 products and Belarus 71 products under the Generalised System of Preference (GSP) to Bangladesh, the minister informed the House.
Tofail said South Korea has given duty-free access of 4,820 products to Bangladesh under the Preferential Tariff for Least Developed Countries and China to 4,788 products under Duty Free Treatment Grants.
“Bangladesh has obtained duty-free access of all products except tobacco and drugs from India under the SAFTA, while other SAARC countries Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan and the Maldives have given such facilities under the SAFTA and SAPTA.”
Tofail said Thailand has allowed duty-free access of 299 products under BIMSTEC and Malaysia 297 products to Bangladesh.
He said Bangladesh will get duty-free access of all products from Chile from January 1, 2015.
The commerce minister said discussions are underway to realize duty-free access of Bangladeshi products from different Southeast Asian countries and Latin American nations like Brazil, Mexico and Argentina and CIS countries and South Africa.
Bangladesh fetched US$27027.36 million in 2012-13 fiscal year by exporting 737 products.
The commerce minister said responding to another question from Awami League lawmaker Morshed Alam.
The products included oven garments, knitwear, home textile, frozen food, shrimp, leather and leather goods, footwear, agri produces, bicycle, chemical products, pharmaceutical and ceramic goods, paper and paper products, rubber carpet, cap, handicrafts,
tea, dry food, wood and wood products, manmaid filaments, computer services, jute and jute goods, specialised textile, cotton and cotton goods, engineering products, cement, petroleum by-products, plastic goods and printed materials.
