Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus has urged US President Donald Trump to defer the imposition of a 37 percent reciprocal tariff on Bangladeshi exports to the United States for a period of three months, reports BSS.
In a formal letter, Prof Yunus appealed for the temporary suspension of the tariff to allow Bangladesh's interim government to implement a comprehensive plan to expand American exports to the country.
The Chief Adviser’s Office (CAO) confirmed the development, stating that Prof Yunus emphasized Bangladesh’s proactive approach in strengthening bilateral trade. He referenced the February visit of High Representative Dr Khalilur Rahman to Washington, which initiated a series of follow-up actions between the two countries.
Bangladesh, he noted, is the first country to propose such a proactive partnership, and also the first in the region to sign a multi-year agreement to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States.
Central to the initiative is a significant scale-up in the import of US agricultural products including cotton, wheat, corn, and soybean—offering direct benefits to American farmers.
Prof Yunus highlighted that Bangladesh already maintains the lowest average tariffs on US exports in South Asia. He also pointed to forthcoming tariff reductions on key American exports such as gas turbines, semiconductors, and medical equipment.
To facilitate trade, Bangladesh plans to establish duty-free bonded warehouses specifically for US cotton and is taking steps to streamline testing, packaging, labeling, and certification requirements. Customs procedures are also being simplified to ease the flow of goods.
“Bangladesh is fully committed to supporting your trade agenda,” Prof Yunus wrote in the letter to President Trump.
A separate letter from Bangladesh’s Commerce Advisor outlining specific trade actions is expected to be submitted to the United States Trade Representative in the coming days, according to the Chief Adviser’s Press Wing.
Bd-pratidin English/ Jisan
