If Bangladesh gets duty-free access to the neighboring countries and the US then the textile exports can go up by nearly 70% to $US15 billion over the next two years or even higher, said Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) President Mohammad Fazlul Hoque.

He said that Bangladesh has earned $US9.21 billion in the fiscal year to June 2007 by exporting ready-made garments. Garments accounted for three-quarters of the country's total export income. Bangladesh is in the process to get duty-free export of garments to Russia, Malaysia, India, Pakistan and the member countries of the Association of South-East Asian Nations.

Bangladesh has high hopes from the proposed "New Partnership and Development Act" by the US Congress. Currently more than 30% of Bangladeshi export income comes from the US, the single largest market for Bangladesh.