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Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday reassured the business community of extending all sorts of support to their any necessity, urging them to set up industries by giving special attention to waste management and environment.
‘Our government is business-friendly government. We always remain beside the businesspeople … they’ll do business and we’ll extend cooperation to their work,’ she said.
The premier was addressing as the chief guest the National Export Trophy for 2016-17 fiscal year distribution function at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.
The Commerce Ministry and the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) jointly organised the function chaired by commerce minister Tipu Munshi.
The prime minister said the businesspeople will have to give a special focus on waste management and environment while establishing mills and factories.
‘I would like to request you that you’ll have to make arrangements for waste management from the beginning… it’ll help protect environment and ensure welfare for the country and people,’ she said.
In this connection, Sheikh Hasina said water reservoirs would have to be kept for rainwater storage and so that their water could be used in extinguishing fire or during any other accident.
‘Environment of the concerned mills and factories and the surrounding areas remains good if any water reservoir persists,’ she added.
Chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on the commerce ministry Tofail Ahmed was present at the function as the special guest, while FBCCI president Sheikh Fazley Fahim and commerce ministry senior secretary Mafizul Islam also spoke.
EPB vice-chairman Fatima Yasmin delivered the welcome address.
At the function, a documentary on ‘Export of Bangladesh’ was screened.
Ministers, PM’s advisers, parliament members, business leaders, high civil and military officials were present at the function.
The prime minister handed over 66 trophies — 29 gold, 21 silver and 16 bronze — in 28 categories to 66 companies for their outstanding performance in the export sector.
Zaber and Zobaer Fabrics was awarded a gold medal as the highest exporter company in FY 2016-17.
The prime minister also called upon the businesspeople to plant trees massively. ‘You’ll also have to give special attention to this end,’ she said.
Sheikh Hasina reiterated her call to the businesspeople to work for boosting export trade by creating new markets and diversifying products.
‘Creating new markets and diversifying goods are very important for increasing export. So, you’ve to add new products to export basket and diversify the goods,’ she said.
‘Simultaneously, you’ll have to give special focus on which products are in more demand in which countries,’ she added.
Referring to her recent London meeting with Bangladesh envoys, posted in European countries, the premier said that she told them that they will also have to give importance to economic diplomacy alongside political one to expand Bangladesh’s trade and business.
‘Our ambassadors and high commissioners will take initiatives and determine that the demand of Bangladesh products is more in the countries where they are posted. They’ll also have to make arrangements for displaying our goods there,’ she said.
Sheikh Hasina continued saying: ‘Our businesspeople can extend cooperation to the envoys or seek their support.’
The prime minister said new Bangladeshi products like ICT and processed food have been added to the export market.
‘Besides, the demand of our leather and leader goods, agri products, jute goods, ceramics, pharmaceuticals, jewellery and furniture is being adequately raised across the globe,’ she said.
In this regard, Sheikh Hasina said Bangladeshis were working in almost all countries of the world. ‘Our businesspeople can take steps for exporting more Bangladeshi goods to those countries by contacting the expatriates,’ she said.
The prime minister said there was a huge demand of non-conventional Bangladeshi products abroad. ‘Our government is properly extending cooperation to this end,’ she said.
While talking about investment in the country, Sheikh Hasina said high bank interest rate was a barrier to investment in Bangladesh.
‘The investors have to take bank loan by giving high interest (double digit). We’ve already given directives that it will have to be cut down to a single digit. But some banks followed our instructions and some didn’t,’ she said.
The premier said discussion was going on the issue and the government was giving necessary facilities to the banks in this regard.
‘So, we want to bring down interest rate to a single digit and we’ve already taken proper steps to make investment easier,’ she said.
Sheikh Hasina mentioned that it was natural for one to become loan defaulter by taking it at high interest. ‘Industries are not set up immediately after taking loan,’ she said.
The prime minister said besides there were many steps to be crossed in the past for making investment. ‘We’ve reduced those steps so that the people can invest more easily,’ she said.
The prime minister said her government had given importance to the flourishing of the private sector. ‘We’ve made open all fields in the private sector,’ she said.
‘We remain beside the businesspeople … I don’t do business and our government has not come to power for doing business. We have come to expand trade and business further by providing all kinds of support for the businessmen to make Bangladesh’s economy stronger and give the people a better life,’ she said.
Sheikh Hasina said her government wanted to advance the country further to build a hunger and poverty-free Sonar Bangla as dreamt by Bangabandhu.
The prime minister said Bangladesh was a role model of development in the world. ‘We now want to establish a developed and prosperous Bangladesh by retaining the honour,’ she said, seeking cooperation of all in this regard.
‘It’s a demand of mine that you, the business people, build Bangladesh as a developed and prosperous country and work to ensure that the pace of uplift is not stopped,’ she added.
Elaborating her government’s steps for expansion of trade and business, Sheikh Hasina said her government had brought trade facilitating institutions under automation to make business easy.
‘Online Licensing Module (OLM) has been introduced at the Office of the Chief Import and Export Controller alongside launching online system for company registration,’ she said.
The prime minister said all fees including company registration fee had been reduced and initiatives had been taken to make the existing Company Act time-befitting.
Sheikh Hasina said the country’s biggest capital was the manpower. ‘We’re turning the manpower into resources and the country’s youthfolk are now more efficient and hard working,’ she said.
The premier said her government had established Employment Bank for the youthfolk and young entrepreneurs. ‘We’ve framed the Digital Commerce Policy, 2018 and taken a project titled ‘Do e-Commerce and Build Own Business’ for them,’ she said.
Sheikh Hasina said the government had undertaken various programmes for women empowerment and created female entrepreneurs.
The prime minister said her government had solved electricity and gas problems for setting up industries. ‘We started LNG import, while floating LNG terminal has been established,’ she said, adding land-based terminal will also be set up.
Sheikh Hasina said the country witnessed massive socioeconomic development in the last 11 years of the Awami League government. ‘Our economy is now strong enough and we’re implementing 90 per cent development programmes with our own financing,’ she said.
The prime minister said Bangladesh had been able to maintain high growth in export. ‘Bangladesh’s export income in 2005-2006 fiscal year was $10.5 billion, while the country fetched $46.88 billion in the last fiscal year by exporting 750 products and services to 202 countries,’ she said.
She said according to the latest GDP ranking of the IMF, Bangladesh was the 30th large economy of the world. ‘We attained 8.1 per cent GDP in the last fiscal year and we expect the country to achieve 10 per cent GDP in 2023-24,’ she said.
The prime minister said the government had framed a four-year (2018-2021) export policy aimed at increasing national income and generating employment through raising export.
The companies which received gold medals from the premier are Zaber and Zobaer Fabrics Ltd, Refat Garments Ltd, Square Fashions Ltd, Badsha Textiles Ltd, Envoy Textile Ltd, Noman Teri Towel Ltd, Sea Mark BD Ltd, Akij Jute Mills Ltd, Service Engine Ltd Dhaka, SAF Industries Ltd, Picard Bangladesh Ltd, Bay Footwear Ltd, Mansur General Trading Company, Pran Agro Ltd, Rajdhani Enterprise, Karupanna Rangpur Ltd, Bengal Plastic Ltd, Shinepukur Ceramics Ltd, Uniglory Cycle Industries Ltd, Energypac Engineering Ltd, Marine Safety System Ltd, Square Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Service Engine Ltd, Universal Jeans Ltd, Fardin Accessories Limited, Moon Trims Ltd, Orchid Trading Corporation, Mir Telecom Ltd and Monno Ceramic Industries Ltd.
Twenty-one silver trophy winners are AKM Knitwear Ltd, Four H Fashions Ltd, Kamal Yarns Ltd, Four H Dyeing & Printing Ltd, Bright seafood ltd, Janata Jute Mills Ltd, BBJ Leather Goods Limited, FB Footwear Ltd, Alin Foods Trade, Alin Food Products Ltd, BD Creation, Durable Plastics Ltd, Rangpur Metal Industries Limited, BRB Cable Industries Ltd, BSRM Steels Ltd, Incepta Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Pacific Jeans Ltd, Shasha Denims Ltd, Uniglory Paper and Packaging Ltd, Bang-chung Trade & Tourism and Nihao Food Company Limited.
Sixteen bronze trophy winning companies are ‘That’s It Sportswear Ltd’, DIRD Composite Textiles Ltd, Maksons Spinning Mills Limited, Paramount Textile Ltd, BD Seafood Limited, Karim Jute Mills Ltd, Footbed Footwear Ltd, Heritage Enterprise, Habiganj Agro Limited, Classical Handmade Products, Allplast Bangladesh Ltd, Meghna Innova Rubber Company Ltd, Jeans 2000 Ltd, RM Interlinings Ltd, Zaber and Zobaer Accessorise Ltd and Bengal Poly & Paper Sack Ltd.
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