Back duty-free entry for US cotton-made RMG: Bangladesh BTMA to NCCA
The Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) has requested the National Cotton Council of America (NCCA) to back Bangladesh in negotiating duty-free access to the US market for readymade garment (RMG) products manufactured using US cotton.
The textile millers' association also called for permanent waiver of the additional 37-per cent duty on exports to the United States to help expand US cotton exports to Bangladesh.
The Bangladesh Textile Mills Association has urged the National Cotton Council of America to back Bangladesh in negotiating duty-free access to the US market for US cotton-made garments. It also called for permanent waiver of the additional 37-per cent duty on exports to the US to help expand US cotton exports to Bangladesh. A BTMA delegation is scheduled to visit the US for high-level dialogue.
A letter by BTMA president Showkat Aziz Russell to NCCA president and chief executive officer Gary Adams said the 90-day tariff suspension window presents a "critical opportunity for strategic diplomacy and negotiation", and called for Bangladesh's permanent removal from the list of countries facing the extra duty.
During this grace period, a baseline reciprocal US duty of 10 per cent has been introduced, implying Bangladesh currently faces a total 26 per cent duty on exports to the United States.
A BTMA delegation is scheduled to visit the United States for high-level dialogue with government and private stakeholders, according to domestic media outlets.
The association represents 1,856 member mills involved in yarn and fabric production, dyeing, printing, and finishing, with a cumulative investment worth $23 billion.
BTMA is also preparing to establish a dedicated central warehouse in Bangladesh exclusively for US cotton, demonstrating its commitment to raising the use of American cotton in its production.
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