The garment export and manufacturing community is miffed over the fact that Pakistan is blocking its entry in to the list of 15 Least Developed Countries (LCD), which will be eligible for receiving a tariff free access to US markets.
According to the bill which has been tabled in the senate, the bill provides duty free access to goods exported from 15 LCD's like Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and a few other African countries.
Pakistan has demanded that either it should be included amongst the list of LCD's or Bangladesh should not be given the status till the conclusion of Doha round of talks and has roped in a few African countries to support the move.
Industry experts in Bangladesh are advocating that the country should try to leverage its relations with those African countries from which it imports cotton.
Incidentally, Bangladesh is the biggest exporter of apparels from amongst all LCD's with shipments totaling to US $3.4 billion in 2008.
Fibre2fashion News Desk - India