Bangladesh reviewing tariffs on US imports, says Press Secretary Shafiqul

The government is attempting to identify options to rationalise tariffs and is working with the Trump administration to help address the tariff issue, he says

The Chief Advisor’s Office says that the government is looking to review tariffs on US products after President Donald Trump announced a 37 percent tariff on Bangladeshi exports.

In a Facebook post on Thursday, Shafiqul Alam, press secretary to the chief advisor, wrote:

“Bangladesh is reviewing its tariffs on products imported from the United States. The National Board of Revenue is identifying options to rationalise tariffs expeditiously, which is necessary to address the matter.”

Trump announced a sweeping range of duties on goods from over 100 countries as part of his “Reciprocal Tariff” policy early on Thursday morning Bangladesh time. The administration says the new move is aimed at countering the so-called "unfair trade practices" of countries that have imposed high tariffs on US exports.

The announcement more than doubled tariffs on Bangladeshi goods – which were approximately 15 percent – to 37 percent.

The US is the largest market for Bangladeshi readymade garments. Bangladesh exported about $8.4 billion in goods to America in 2024, of which $7.34 billion was readymade garments.

The new tariffs could thus be a major blow to Bangladesh's garment sector.

A list released by the White House states that Bangladesh imposes tariffs of up to 74 percent on US goods. In response, a 37 percent "reduced supplementary tariff" will now be imposed on Bangladeshi goods entering the US market, it said.

In his post, Shafiqul said: “The United States is a close friend of Bangladesh and our largest export destination. We have been working with the US since the Trump Administration took over to enhance trade and investment cooperation between our two countries.”

“Our ongoing work with the US government is expected to help address the tariff issue.”