Washington DC, (19 August):
Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi, said that vaccination of the workers is the top priority of
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government. He said this in a meeting with Walmart Vice President
Paul Dyck at the Embassy of Bangladesh in Washington DC yesterday.
The commerce minister, who led the Bangladesh delegation to the Magic Las Vegas 2021 trade
show, made a brief stopover at Washington DC to participate in a trade roundtable organized by
McLarty Associates.
Tipu Munshi said that the government and the factory owners were working hand in hand to
vaccinate the garment workers each day. He added that the government hopes to vaccinate 5 million
workers in the ready-made garment sector within a month and a half. He highlighted the government's
efforts and the factories' preparedness to ensure safety of the workers in the backdrop of the COVID-
19 pandemic. He also expressed hope that in the next six months, more than 60 percent of the total
population of Bangladesh will be vaccinated.
The Walmart Vice President said that with the improvement of the COVID 19 situation in the
USA, Walmart is now ready to explore and source more from abroad. Apart from the ready-made
garment products, the Minister encouraged Walmart to buy leather goods, pharmaceuticals, light
engineering items including bicycles, and plastic products from Bangladesh.
Over the luncheon roundtable, Chairman of Bangladesh Shrimp and Fish Foundation Syed
Mahmudul Huq highlighted the need to position the black tigers as a premium shrimp in the US market
by ensuring that modern production capabilities are in place and that overseas markets' food safety and
traceability requirements are consistently met. The meeting highlighted the need for retaining long-
term demand of Bangladeshi tiger shrimps by ensuring that our aquaculture products are third-party
certified as being responsibly produced. It was decided that Bangladesh Shrimp and Fish Foundation
and the Embassy of Bangladesh in Washington DC will work together to retain and enhance market
share of Bangladeshi tiger shrimps in the USA.
Among others, Bangladesh Ambassador to the USA M. Shahidul Islam, Senior Adviser of
McLarty Associates Ambassador Teresita Schaffer, Senior Director of Walmart Ms. Sarah Thorn, and
other officers from Commerce Ministry and Embassy of Bangladesh in Washington DC were present
at the meeting.
Earlier, the commerce minister placed floral wreaths at the bust of the Father of the Nation,
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, at the Embassy of Bangladesh in Washington DC.
