Apparel exporters aggrieved
Staff Correspondent

Dhaka, Apr 19 (bdnews24.com) - Apparel exporters expressed grievance over the government's priority to the farming sector in its recession package announced Sunday.
"We are disappointed at the announcement. The apparel industry sector has not been taken into consideration at all under the incentives," said Abdus Salam Murshedy, president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association.
He termed the Tk 3424 crore support package unveiled by finance minister AMA Muhith just hours "undesirable".
"No steps have been taken to protect the apparel industry in the face of the global recession," he told a press conference
Of the support package, Tk 1500 crore was allocated in direct subsidies to the farm sector, and another Tk 500 crore for recapitalisation of agriculture loans.
Other garment industry leaders joined him in airing disappointment at the decision and demanded reconsideration by the government.
"Is the agriculture sector so depressed that it needs to be allocated Tk 1500 crore, while we won't get even Tk 1.5 crore. We don't agree with this decision," said Fazlul Haque, president of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association.
"The agriculture sector could get allocation through other means instead of through the recovery package," said Haque.
"We are calling on the government to reconsider this announcement by forming a sub-committee."
The support package, meant for immediate aid during the remaining quarter of the current financial year, also included allocations to some export sectors. The package raised cash incentives from 7.5 percent to 10 per cent for jute products, from 15 per cent to 17.50 for tannery products and from 10 per cent to 12.5 percent for frozen fish exports.
Haque claimed that the government had taken a wrong decision in making no allocation for the apparel industry.
"Injustice has been committed by snubbing the country's greatest export earnings sector," he said.
He said growth in knitwear sector should have been 20 per cent this year, but it amounted to just five per cent due to the global downturn.
"Our exports have fallen $450 million under the target. The two sectors jute and frozen foods combined have lost only $70 millionl. Why were they given financial support instead of us?"
The BKMEA president claimed that buyers were turning to other countries as their products were still able to compete with their governments' assistance in various sectors.
Haque called on the government reduce loan rates to single digits.
Murshedy demanded that the government reconsider its package and offer an incentive of ten per cent over the dollar rate for up to 30 percent of the total exports.