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‘Yunus Mission’ makes RMG industry upbeat


Sunday May 01 2005 09:46:27 AM BDT


KAZI AZIZUL ISLAM


The readymade garment exporters are optimistic about getting duty-free access to US market after Professor Muhammad Yunus completed a successful US advocacy mission.

‘Yunus mission’ has completed the groundwork for creating awareness among the US politicians and the media in favour of a bill related to duty-free access, the exporters said.

The BGMEA delegation, accompanied by Professor Muhammad Yunus, completed the two-day mission on Thursday, advocating for the bill titled ‘Tariff Relief Assistance for Developing Economies Act of 2005’.

The bill referred to the extension of trade relief facilities to four South Asian countries –Bangladesh, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Nepal – and 10 other countries.

‘Yunus mission has created awareness in favour of the bill seeking duty-free access of RMG export from Bangladesh and some other poor countries,’ said Ghulam Faruk, a member of Yunus mission and a leader of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association.

Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank, is well known to US high-ups and his image has helped the delegation attract attention of American policymakers to the issue, said Faruk, who is now in London, reached by phone.

‘Yunus successfully campaigned for the bill arguing that like micro-credit, garment employment also contributes to women empowerment in Bangladesh.’

During the mission, Yunus and the BGMEA delegation met Senator John MCCain, an influential Republican, and Senator Hillary Clinton, a Democrat.

Both the lawmakers promised that they would advocate for the bill, delegation members said.

‘Influential senators from both Republican and Democratic parties are now aware of the bill after Professor Yunus campaigned for it,’ Faruk said.

The mission also met some other Senators and attended a seminar on duty-free access.

The president of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association, Fazlul Haque, said achieving duty-access to US market will be a big gain for the industry.

‘We are hopeful of gaining duty-free access,’ said a delighted Haque.

Alamgir MZ Rahman, the immediate past vice-president of the BGMEA, said the ‘Yunus mission’ was a very positive plus point’ for drumming up support for the duty-free access bill.