Speaking to reporters at the secretariat today, Commerce Secretary Mahbubur Rahman said, “We have received the date of February 9 from the United States. We have sent a summary for approval of the draft agreement and signing on that date.”
When asked what the reciprocal tariff rate could be, the Commerce Secretary said, “It is currently 20 per cent. Some countries face the same rate, while others face a higher rate. We are hopeful that the rate will come down to some extent. However, we cannot say for sure before February 9.”
The government has not given any official statement regarding the agreement with America.
Regarding the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with Japan, the Commerce Ministry had said in a press conference on December 22 that after the signing of the agreement, 7,379 Bangladeshi products will enjoy duty-free access to the Japanese market from the first day.