The government has moved to empower the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) to cancel licences of exporters or suppliers or take legal action against rogue operators for their involvement in fraudulent activities, an official said yesterday.
The government took the initiative as a section of exporters with their alleged fraudulent activities in international trade hurt the image of the country abroad.
Several Chinese businessmen had exported Chinese textile products to Germany by using Bangladesh GSP (generalised system of preferences) facilities with the help of some local exporters.
The result was, Bangladeshi exports to Germany were hit hard as the German Customs had imposed on German importers a 12 percent deposit on "suspicious shipments" from Bangladesh.
But the German Customs had later lifted the restriction after Bangladesh adopted some measures to check forgery.
Meanwhile, around two dozens of complaints -- mostly from the US and European countries -- have piled up against Bangladesh exporters and other suppliers, alleging that the suppliers breached agreements.
A Belgian businessman has recently complained that his Bangladeshi counterpart had supplied low-quality jute, although he had paid for higher quality jute. In another instance, a French frozen foods importer accused his Bangladeshi counterpart of not sending stipulated quantity of shrimps.
“We proposed to the government that an International Dispute Settlement Cell should be established to settle disputes in international trade, as the Regulatory Reforms Commission (RRC) sought suggestion from us to improve trade environment,” EPB Vice-chairman Md Shahab Ullah said.
A high official at the commerce ministry said they had received the EPB proposal and sent it to the RRC. If the RRC clears the proposal and forwards it to the commerce ministry, the ministry will take a decision in this connection, he added.
“The government should take prompt action against complaints to discipline Bangladesh's trade with other countries and to restore the positive image of Bangladesh abroad,” the official said.
A member of the Foreign Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry said the chamber has been seeking such a cell for long and met with no response.
Presently, the EPB has no power to take punitive action against the violators of international trade law.
“The EPB is currently dealing with many complaints from foreign businessmen, who accuse local businessmen of breaching agreement and cheating,” the EPB vice chairman said.
He said it is essential to empower EPB or any other organisation so that they can take action against the violators.
The EPB vice chairman said the EPB could only investigate international trade disputes and blacklist the company involved in any particular dispute.
"The implementation of the proposal will empower the Bureau to take punitive action as well," he said.

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