Bangladesh not using Uyghur items: BGMEA
There is no chance of Bangladeshi garment factories using materials like cotton, yarn and fabrics produced in China's Xinjiang region, said Faruque Hassan, president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), yesterday.
Bangladesh does not import cotton from China. Rather, it imports a very low amount of yarn and a lot of garment fabrics but not those produced in Xinjiang, he said.
Faruque was responding to The Daily Star's request for comments over the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reiterating earlier this month that American customs would not release goods made from materials of forced labour of Uyghurs in China.
A Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) Entity List, signed into law by President Joseph R Biden in December 2021, prohibits goods, either produced in Xinjiang or by entities identified on the list, from being imported into the US.
The Commissioner of US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) also determines, by clear and convincing evidence, whether or not goods were produced with forced labour, according to a statement of United States Trade Representative (USTR).
The CBP began enforcing the UFLPA in June 2022, reviewing over 6,000 shipments valued at more than $2 billion till date.
During this time, 1,093 shipments worth $46 million were seized, the most being electronic materials followed by apparel, footwear and textile items.
Of the amount, there were Chinese shipments worth was $20.15 million and Vietnamese $19.72 million. Other countries such as Cambodia and Sri Lanka are in the list.
Of the shipments, the CBP released 339 and denied 571.
So far, there is no record of the CBP seizing any Bangladeshi consignment of apparel centring the UFLPA, said the BGMEA chief.
When local garment exporters import any raw material from China to make products meant for export, they advise their Chinese suppliers not to use any item made in the Xinjiang region to avoid violating the CBP rules, said Hassan.
Rather, the local garment exporters are relying more on US cotton, he said.
The withdrawal of the need for double fumigation of US cotton in the Bangladeshi ports has been helping a lot in using more American cotton in manufacturing of the export-oriented garment items here, he added.
The US is the single largest export destination for Bangladesh and the local exporters send garment items worth more than $10 billion to the American markets in a year.
"We have shown again through today's enforcement actions that the United States will not tolerate forced labor in the goods that come into this country," said the Under Secretary for Policy, Robert Silvers, who serves as Chair of the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force.
"Companies must conduct due diligence and know their supply chains. The interagency Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force will continue to designate entities known to violate our laws, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection will continue its vigilant enforcement at our ports," Silvers said.
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