Refayet Ullah Mirdha

Bangladesh’s apparel exporters are facing fresh uncertainty over the textile clause in the Bangladesh-US Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART), after leading US textile trade bodies argued that the mechanism is unlikely to achieve American industrial goals and called for an alternative framework.

Bangladesh is pursuing a dual-track strategy to retain duty-free access to the European Union after graduating from the least developed country (LDC) category, negotiating a free trade agreement (FTA) with the bloc while also seeking to qualify for its GSP Plus trade preference scheme.

When China widened duty-free access to 97 percent of Bangladeshi products in 2020 and later extended the concession to almost all goods in 2024, it appeared to offer Bangladesh a rare opening.

Swedish retail giant H&M has said Bangladesh remains “a very important sourcing market”, amid media reports suggesting it may reduce purchases from the country.

Jerseys manufactured in Bangladesh were worn by the Cape Verde national team during their World Cup debut match against Spain

Although a Bangladeshi team is not taking part in the FIFA World Cup 2026, products “made in Bangladesh” have still made their way to football’s biggest stage.

Bangladesh is preparing a formal response to the USTR’s claim that the country has failed to prevent imports of goods made with forced labour, in a bid to avoid a proposed 10 percent tariff on its exports to the United States.

Although the proposed budget for fiscal year 2026-27 offers some measures that are aligned with the government’s Smooth Transition Strategy (STS) for LDC graduation, it lacks a dedicated framework with preparations for this watershed moment, which is due in November, experts said.