Bangladesh has 46 diplomatic missions abroad now covering around 124 countries. Of them, 25 could not achieve their export targets during July-October period of the current financial year while the rest performed well achieving their goals.

Paris, Rome, Pretoria and Nairobi were the four missions on the 25 poor performers’ list in July-October period but a latest assessment has put them on the target achievers' list.

However, Canberra, a good performer in the first four months, has failed to achieve the target during July-December period of the current financial year.

In the face of poor export performance of Bangladeshi missions abroad, the government decided in January to hold chiefs instead of their economic and commercial counsellors accountable to achieve export targets.

Economic counsellors of Bangladeshi missions were instructed to report through the ambassadors or high commissioners so that the missions' performance in this regard can be scrutinised.

According to sources, most of the commercial or economic counsellors working in different missions abroad had been sent on political persuasion and not trained enough to promote country's export products to the prospective buyers.

The commerce ministry last year also decided to call back some of them who are not fit for the posts but it could not implement its decision due to political pressures, the sources added.

"We are not happy with the performances of most counsellors. They did not face any evaluation in the last 30 years," said a commerce ministry official.

According to a commerce ministry report, the missions that failed to achieve their targets for July-December period of FY2004-05 are Berlin, London, Brussels, Dubai, Islamabad, Cairo, Singapore, Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait, Hanoi, Tripoli, Kathmandu, Amman, Brunei, Yangon, Rabat, Colombo, Stockholm, Tokyo, Canberra and Bangkok.

On the other hands, the missions that achieved their respective export targets during the same period are Washington, The Hague, Madrid, Ottawa, Ankara, Manila, Muscat, Hong Kong, Tehran, Seoul, Moscow, Brasilia, Tashkent, Doha, Manama, Thimpu, New Delhi, Warsaw, Riyadh, Jakarta, Paris, Rome, Pretoria and Nairobi.

The government earlier used to set the export target on sectoral basis after consulting with the private sector entrepreneurs. But in the recent years the country-wise export targets are set and the foreign missions abroad are asked to take necessary measures to achieve the targets.