Ministry of Commerce
Profile
- Head
- Khandaker Abdul Muktadir
- Role
- Minister
- Annual budget
- —
- Staff
- —
- Established
- 1972
- Legal basis
- Imports and Exports (Control) Act, 1950 (Act XXXIX of 1950); Allocation of Business Rules (Government of Bangladesh)
Actively managing two overlapping priorities: defending and reviewing the February 2026 US-Bangladesh Reciprocal Trade Agreement while advancing LDC-graduation preparedness (EU GSP+ eligibility window closing November 2029) and domestic regulatory reforms to ease business entry.
Recent activity
- 2026-02-09 international US-Bangladesh Reciprocal Trade Agreement signed: US reciprocal tariff on Bangladesh goods reduced to 19%; RMG made with US-origin cotton and man-made fibres granted zero duty; Bangladesh committed duty-free access to 7,000+ US tariff lines. ↗↗↗
- 2026-02-17 appointment Khandaker Abdul Muktadir MP appointed Commerce Minister under BNP cabinet; also holds Industries and Textiles & Jute portfolios. ↗↗
- 2026-02-28 policy Government drafted a global trade action plan; US-Bangladesh trade deal placed under formal review by the new BNP administration amid criticism from CPD and economists over sovereignty provisions. ↗↗
- 2026-04-01 international Bangladesh and UK agreed to reactivate the bilateral Trade and Investment Dialogue; UK offered ~GBP 2 billion in export credit via UK Export Finance for infrastructure investment; discussions covered RMG, processed food, marine, and leather exports to UK market. ↗↗
- 2026-04-23 statement Minister Muktadir stated the US trade deal contains a self-correcting revision clause and will be leveraged for mutual benefit; confirmed deal will not be scrapped but reviewed via PM adviser Zahed. ↗↗↗
- 2026-05-05 statement Minister Muktadir reaffirmed Bangladesh-US trade deal should be utilized for mutual benefit; called for export diversification to strengthen bilateral trade partnership. ↗↗
- 2026-05-10 reform Ministry announced plans to modernize TCB (Trading Corporation of Bangladesh) with AI-based supply chain monitoring, transparent dealer appointment policy, and strategic reserves for essential commodities. ↗↗
- 2026-05-12 reform Ministry pushed regulatory ease-of-business reform: provisional clearance system to consolidate 25-26 BIDA licences into a single-window process; BIDA, BEZA, and BEPZA merger under one umbrella entity under consideration. ↗↗
Provenance & notes
Ministry established 12 January 1972. Minister Muktadir concurrently holds Industries and Textiles & Jute portfolios under BNP cabinet sworn in 17 February 2026. The US-Bangladesh Reciprocal Trade Agreement (signed 9 February 2026 by outgoing interim government days before election) is the dominant policy issue: it cuts US reciprocal tariff from ~37% to 19% and grants zero duty for RMG using US-origin cotton/fibres, but critics (CPD) argue government procurement and sovereignty clauses harm national interests. Bangladesh graduates LDC status 24 November 2026; EU EBA transition runs to November 2029, after which GSP+ compliance on labour, governance, and environment is required. RMG represents ~84% of Bangladesh's merchandise exports. staff_count and exact BDT budget figure for FY2025-26 not publicly disaggregated at ministry level in primary sources consulted.
Sources
- https://mincom.gov.bd/
- https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/2026/02/joint-statement-on-framework-for-united-states-bangladesh-agreement-on-reciprocal-trade/
- https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/17/who-are-bangladeshs-new-cabinet-members
- https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/governance/news/who-gets-which-ministry-inside-bnps-cabinet-line-4108521
- https://www.tbsnews.net/economy/us-cuts-bangladeshs-reciprocal-tariff-19-under-new-trade-deal-1356866
- https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/bangladesh-uk-agree-reactivate-trade-investment-dialogue-1406371
- https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/trade-deal-us-can-be-revised-if-terms-hurt-bangladeshs-interests-commerce-minister
- https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/govt-review-bangladesh-us-trade-agreement-says-pms-adviser-zahed-1436891
- https://www.bssnews.net/news/385987
- https://www.bssnews.net/business/386412
- https://thediplomat.com/2026/04/the-bangladesh-us-trade-deal-is-a-litmus-test-for-dhakas-strategic-autonomy/
- https://www.thedailystar.net/business/news/eus-gsp-lifeline-bangladesh-must-win-2029-4051411
- https://www.bangladeshtradeportal.gov.bd/kcfinder/upload/files/Legal_1756180440.pdf
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Commerce_(Bangladesh)