Some 45 Bangladesh missions abroad have failed to achieve their respective export targets for the July-February period of this fiscal, according to the Export Promotion Bureau. The remaining 12 missions achieved their export targets as well as export growth during the first eight months of the fiscal year (FY) 2019-20. These missions are in Tehran, Manama, Bagdad, Riyadh, Islamabad, New York, Jakarta, Kathmandu, Amman, Tripoli, Tashkent and Ankara. Of the 45 missions, nine missions, however, saw higher export growth during the July-February period, compared to the same period of FY ’19.These missions are in New Delhi, Madrid, Rabat, Manila, Vienna, Mexico City, Seoul, Copenhagen and Warsaw. The export growth and targets of the remaining 36 missions were lower during the period under review than that of the corresponding period of FY ’19. They are in Canberra, Brussels, Ottawa, Beijing, Paris, Kuala Lumpur, Yangon, Geneva, Singapore, Berlin, Tokyo, Moscow, London, Dubai, Washington, Nairobi, Hong Kong, Darussalam, Doha, Thimphu, Brasilia, Cairo, Rome, Beirut, Male, The Hague, Muscat, Lisbon, Pretoria, Colombo, Stockholm, Kuwait, Athens, Port Louis, Hanoi and Bangkok. At present, 18 Bangladesh missions abroad have commercial wings. Of them, all but the commercial wing in Tehran failed to attain their export targets. However, two (New Delhi and Madrid) out of the 17 commercial wings registered higher export growth during July-February period, compared to the same period of FY’19. The remaining 15 wings (Canberra, Brussels, Ottawa, Beijing, Paris, Kuala Lumpur, Yangon, Geneva, Singapore, Berlin, Tokyo, Moscow, London, Dubai and Washington)) have seen lower export growth and also missed the export target. Presently, 39 Bangladesh missions abroad do not have any commercial wings. The overall export earnings during the July-February period of FY ’20 amounted to $26241.83 million. Bangladesh wants to increase its export earnings to $60 billion by 2021 from the present level of $40.53 billion in FY 2018-19. It set a $45.5-billion target for the current fiscal year, according to a competent source. “The government has put in every effort to attain the long-term export target,” he said, adding that it is committed to helping the missions boost the exports.
