WTO rules to help Bangladesh more after graduation: PM

Thrashing the apprehension that Bangladesh will finally be a 'loser' as a developing country, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday said the country would be able to avail of much more alternative facilities under WTO rules.

“Many people, perhaps, have a doubt that we’ll be deprived of many facilities as a developing country. But we'll be able to avail of much more facilities than what we would be deprived of. It would be a big deal (scope) for us,” she said.

The Prime Minister made the remarks while inaugurating the newly-constructed Bangabandhu Bangladesh-China Friendship Exhibition Centre at Purbachal.

She opened the eye-catching exhibition centre virtually from her official residence Ganobhaban here.

The centre equipped with modern facilities is the permanent venue for different product-based fairs round the year. It was built by the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) under a project jointly financed by Bangladesh and China.

Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh is now a developing country. We’ll avail of the alternative facilities which are available for a developing country under the rules and guidelines of the WTO. We'll be able to do that. So, I think there would be no big problem here.”

“We’ll get much more scope to expand our export and investment in the country,” she said.

Products diversification

The Prime Minister urged the business community to produce quality products, diversify goods, expand the export basket and explore new export markets in order to sustain in the competition of the fast-changing global market.