BKMEA dispatched its maiden mission to South Africa back in 2009 and it went a long way to leave a lasting effect among the South African businessmen. It was manifested in subsequent visits by some prominent buyers from the country to the Knitwear Exposition 2009 held in Bangladesh.
We maintain that frequent visits are necessary to draw the attention of the business community and the government. This was once again proved following our visits to Japan and Hong Kong. Now we enjoy two stage Japanese GSP facility for Bangladesh knitwear products.

In line with our mission, by the end of October, 2011, BKMEA is going to organize a follow up trade mission to South Africa. The tour is expected to achieve market access to South Africa for RMG products particularly for knitwear products from Bangladesh. It is important to note that in 2010, South Africa imported only US$ 14 million knitwear products from Bangladesh out of its total import of US$ 595 million* from the global market. Due to the excessively high duty & VAT structure on import, products from Bangladesh are yet to make its strong footing in South Africa. We hope that the forthcoming voyage to South Africa will herald in a new era for Bangladesh knitwear products.

*Source: EPB, ITC database, Government of South Africa