Export Promotion Bureau on Sunday introduced Registered Exporter System for the country’s exporters who make their shipment to the European Union.
The REX is an automated EU certification system under which Bangladeshi exporters would make self-decoration of the country of origin to avail the Generalised System of Preference in the market.
Currently, EPB manually issues country of origin certificate to the exporters for the GSP facility in the EU market.
Commerce minister Tipu Munshi inaugurated the REX system on in a ceremony at the bureau in the city through handing over unique registration numbers to 10 exporters.
‘It’s a beginning of introducing REX system and we must have to complete giving registration numbers to country’s 6,000 exporters by December this year to avail the GSP facilitates in the EU market,’ commerce minister said.
He said there was a pressure on the government to introduce the self-declaration of country of origin and the EPB would have to distribute 200-250 registration numbers per week to the exporters to fulfil the target in time.
Tipu Munshi urged the businesses not to misuse the scope of the self-declaration system saying that any deception in the system would create negative impact on the image of the country as well as business community.
The 10 export companies which received REX numbers for making self-decoration of the country of origin are: Zaber and Zubair Fabrics Ltd, Rifat Garment Ltd, Square Fashions Ltd, Noman Teri Towel Mills Ltd, Sea Mark BD Ltd, Akij Jute Mills Ltd, Pran Agro Ltd, Karupannya Rangpur Ltd, Uniglory Cycle Industries Ltd and Universal Jeans Ltd.
The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry president Sheikh Fazle Fahim said that the introduction of REX system would be helpful to enhance the ease of doing business and lower the cost of doing business situation.
He said that the FBCCI would extend its all-out support to implement the system and the government would have to ensure harassment free monitoring system.
Commerce secretary Md Mofizul Islam said that businesses would have to innovative to compete in the global market.
The introduction of REX system means the government wants to deliver service to the doorsteps of the exporters.
Md Shafiqul Islam, vice-chairman of EPB said that the REX would be applicable for the exporters to get duty free benefit in EU and Norway and Switzerland. He said that as per the EU regulation all the economic operators or exporters would have to get registered in a database by a competent authority of their country.
In Bangladesh, EPB as a competent authority would distribute a unique registration number to the exporters Shafiqul said.
According to the EPB vice chairman, introducing REX system was very much important for Bangladesh as more than 65 per cent of the country’s total export s go to EU.
Source: The New Age