Close on heels of Bangladesh Finance Minister unveiling the proposed 2021-22 fiscal budget before the parliament on 3 June (Thursday), the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) on 5 June (Saturday) maintained that some of the proposals put forth by the trade body were not met while urging the Government to review the suggestions even as the garment makers’ body hailed the proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year 2021-22.
At a post-budget press conference held at Uttara-based BGMEA headquarters in capital Dhaka, the trade body underlined the proposed budget didn’t reflect some of the measures, it requested earlier, for the turnaround of the industry and creation of employment while calling upon the Government to reconsider the demand for 10 per cent cash incentive against export of non-cotton garments for the rebounding of the sector and to create new employment even as BGMEA President Faruque Hassan requested the Government to increase the cash incentive for exporting new markets to 5 per cent from existing 4 per cent underlining they demanded the facility to retain the export market amidst the coronavirus pandemic while also calling for specific allocation for the development of new skills in the apparel and textile sector so as to address the challenges of the 4th industrial revolution.
In the press meeting attended amongst others by BGMEA Senior Vice-President SM Mannan Kochi, Vice-Presidents Rakibul Alam Chowdhury, Md. Nasir Uddin and Shahidullah Azim, and Directors Md. Imranur Rahman, Md. Mohiuddin Rubel and Asif Ashraf, the BGMEA President demanded withdrawing the 10 per cent tax on cash incentive as the garment exporters were facing an acute shortage of cash amidst the COVID-19 pandemic while demanding specialised health cards for the apparel workers and bringing them under the purview of the vaccination programme on priority basis to keep the economy alive and kicking.
