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 Prime
Minister Khaleda Zia announced that the
government will allow knitwear manufacturers to
import yarn from India through Benapole land
port, a long-standing demand of the apparel
manufacturers and exporters.
"All necessary steps will be taken to reopen the
land port as soon as possible to facilitate the
growing [knitwear] sector," she said at the
inaugural ceremony of the second Bangladesh
Knitwear Exposition 2005 on December 13 at Dhaka
Sheraton hotel.
The prime minister's announcement came as a
relief to the apparel exporters who have been
demanding reopening of the land port for import
of yarn from India.
The government banned yarn import through
Benapole land port in March 2001 to prevent
unscrupulous businessmen from importing or
smuggling yarn by taking advantage of inadequate
infrastructure facility at the land port.
In an instant reaction, Bangladesh Knitwear
Manufactures and Exporters Association (BKMEA)
and Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and
Exporters Association (BGMEA) welcomed the
government decision.
The prime minister who inaugurated the three-day
fair organized by BKMEA said knitwear sector is
becoming one of the main foreign exchange
earners of the country.
She urged the apparel exporters to maximize the
use of the opportunities of duty-free access
given by EU, Canada, Australia, Norway and New
Zealand.
Khaleda also asked the business community to
utilize tariff facilitates offered by Thailand,
India and China, and take the GSP (generalized
system of preferences) offer recently given by
Russia to Bangladesh.
Exporters have to diversify export products and
maintain international standard to boost exports
under these facilities in different markets of
the world, she suggested.
BGMEA WELCOMES DECISION
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters
Association (BGMEA) welcomed the government
decision, saying the resumption of yarn import
under back-to-back LC (letter of credit) through
Benapole port would help flourish the apparel
industry.
“This will accelerate the growth of knitwear
industry and expand the market especially in the
European Union and the United States," BGMEA
said in a statement.
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