Dhaka (AFP) – US buyers have begun halting orders from Bangladesh, the world’s second-biggest garment manufacturer, after punishing US tariffs, leaders of the South Asian nation’s critical industry warned on Monday.
Md Anwar Hossain, government-appointed administrator of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), sent a letter to US-based buyers pleading for understanding.
“We are aware that several brands and retailers have already reached out to their Bangladeshi suppliers, expressing concern and, in some cases, discussing possible measures to mitigate the impact”, Hossain wrote.
“We understand the urgency, but transferring the burden downstream to suppliers at this early stage will only exacerbate the stress,” he added.
“We humbly request your patience and support during this period as Bangladesh pursues a meaningful resolution.”
But former BGMEA director Mohiuddin Rubel said some buyers have already asked for shipments to be put on hold until further notice.
“In particular, smaller buyers are pressuring suppliers to either absorb the full tariff, or share the cost,” Rubel told AFP.
Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus, who held an emergency meeting on Saturday to assess the impact of the tariffs, is writing to Trump about the impact, his press secretary Shafiqul Alam said Sunday.
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Textile and garment production accounts for about 80 percent of exports in Bangladesh and the industry has been rebuilding after it was hit hard in a student-led revolution that toppled the government last year.
US President Donald Trump hit Bangladesh with biting new tariffs of 37 percent on Wednesday, hiking duties from the previous 16 percent on cotton products.
Reports of the swift biting impact come as interim leader Muhammad Yunus pleaded with Trump to “postpone the application of US reciprocal tariff measures”, the government said in a statement.
Yunus wrote to Trump to ask for “three months to allow the interim government to smoothly implement its initiative to substantially increase US exports to Bangladesh”, the statement added.
Those products include “cotton, wheat, corn and soybean which will offer benefits to US farmers”, it read.
“Bangladesh will take all necessary actions to fully support your trade agenda,” Yunus told Trump, according to the statement.
Mohammad Mushfiqur Rahman, managing director of Essensor Footwear and Leather Products, said he received a letter from one of his buyers requesting a shipment halt.
“My buyer asked me to stop a shipment of leather goods – including bags, belts, and wallets – worth $300,000 on Sunday,” Rahman told AFP.
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