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Bangladesh seeks free access of its ready-made garment to developed markets |
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08:15, July 09, 2007 |
Bangladesh hoped to achieve double- digit economic growth from current 7 percent while poverty level would reduce to half if the country's ready- made garment gets free access in markets of Europe and North America.
Foreign Advisor Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury made the remarks at a press briefing here Sunday on his return from the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) ministerial meeting in Geneva.
Bangladesh earns over 8 billion U.S. dollars annually by exporting apparel mainly to Europe and the United States. Nearly 2 million workers mostly women are employed in the booming apparel industry.
"We made it clear that if Bangladesh is not given preferential market access, many of our garment workers, mostly women, will lose their jobs," he said.
About his meeting with WTO Director General Pascal Lamy, Chowdhury said he sought WTO support to remove non-tariff barriers to Bangladeshi ready-made garment and free access to the markets of developed nations. Lamy assured his cooperation in this regard.
"If we could maintain current space of development, political stability and international assistance, our dependence on foreign aid will also come down," he told the briefing.
The advisor said Bangladesh must not be penalized for her performance in the ready-made garment sector and the WTO must ensure that countries can transform their comparative advantage to competitive advantage in the world economy.
Source: Xinhua
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