The government has officially cancelled all activities related to the conferment of the National Export Trophy for the 2022-23 fiscal year.
A notification regarding the cancellation was issued on Tuesday by the Export-4 branch of the Ministry of Commerce. The order was signed by Md Razakul Islam, deputy secretary of the ministry, by order of the President.
The National Export Trophy is an annual recognition awarded to institutions for their significant contributions to the export sector, specifically for earning foreign exchange and generating employment.
The most recent awards were distributed on 14 July 2024, when 77 organisations received trophies for their performance in the 2021-22 fiscal year.
This ceremony took place shortly before the then prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled the country on 5 August 2024 in the face of a mass uprising, which led to the ousting of her government. No export trophies have been awarded since that change in regime.
On 4 May last year, the government formed a five-member committee to review and propose necessary amendments to the “National Export Trophy Policy-2022.”
This committee is led by Sheikh Bashir Uddin, the adviser to the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Textiles and Jute, and the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism.
According to the notification issued by the Cabinet Division, the committee was tasked with reviewing the 2022 policy and providing recommendations for revisions.
The decision to cancel the 2022-23 trophy proceedings comes more than eight months after the formation of this review committee.
