BGMEA wants Danish support to continue duty benefits in EU market

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association President Faruque Hassan on Sunday sought Denmark’s support in continuation of duty-benefit for Bangladesh in the European Union for 12 years.

This support, he said, is needed to ensure Bangladesh’s smoother transition after the graduation from LDC in 2026.

Faruque discussed the issue when Ambassador of Denmark to Bangladesh Winnie Estrup Petersen met him at BGMEA office in Gulshan.

BGMEA Vice President Shahidullah Azim, Vice President Miran Ali, Soren Asbjorn Albertsen, Sector Counsellor, and Ali Mushtaq Butt, Commercial Counsellor at the Danish Embassy were also present.

Denmark is a member country of the European Union which provides duty-free market access to Bangladesh as a LDC under its EBA programme.

Faruque requested the ambassador to share the positive development and stories about the RMG industry, she witnessed during her stay in Dhaka, with both brands and consumers.

He also called on the envoy to request Danish brands and retailers to be more rational in pricing as nobody can justify lower price to produce socially fair goods.

They had discussions about issues related to the readymade garment industry in Bangladesh, including its progress in the areas of workplace safety, environmental sustainability and wellbeing of workers.

They also talked about scope of further collaboration and cooperation from Denmark especially in enhancing productivity and facilitating more use of energy-efficient technologies in the garment industry of Bangladesh.