Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President Faruque Hassan has urged the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to provide green channel facility to RMG exporters to ensure faster delivery of imported garment raw materials through coordination between the Customs and port authorities.

He also called on the NBR to issue a self-clearance licence to RMG exporters to allow them to take quick delivery of imported raw materials from the ports.

The BGMEA chief made the request during a meeting with NBR Chairman Abu Hena Md Rahmatul Muneem held at NBR office in the city on Monday.

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BGMEA Vice President Shahidullah Azim, Director Asif Ashraf and Chair of BGMEA Standing Committee on Foreign Mission Cell Shams Mahmud were also present at the meeting.

The BGMEA leaders stressed on the importance of simplifying business procedures for the export-oriented apparel industry in order to retain its competitiveness in the global market.

They requested the NBR to remove customs and bond related hindrances from the business proceedings to accelerate the growth of the RMG industry.

Faruque Hassan said simplified business procedures will reduce lead time, thus will make the apparel industry of Bangladesh more competitive.

It will pave the way of seizing new opportunities that are lying ahead of the RMG industry, he added.

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NBR Chairman Muneem congratulated the RMG sector on making outstanding contributions to the total export earnings of Bangladesh that reached USD 52.08 billion in 2021-2022 financial years where the apparel industry alone fetched USD 42.61 billion.

This is a great achievement and milestone for Bangladesh in the year after the country celebrated its 50th anniversary, he said.