Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday asked all concerned to target the markets of Middle East, gulf countries, Africa, South Asia, South East Asia, East Asia and East Europe for export earnings alongside diversifying the Bangladeshi products.
‘We don’t want to limit ourselves with some export items. We have to expand exports. So, we have to diversify our export items,’ she said.
The premier made the remarks as chief guest while handing over National Export Trophies to 77 top exporters in 32 categories for the 2021-22 financial year at Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the capital Dhaka on the day.
She said that the economy of America and European countries had been under pressure and their purchasing capacities had declined and inflation had increased.
‘So, pay attention to these countries (Middle East, gulf countries, Africa, South Asia, South East Asia, East Asia and East Europe) as the next destination of export,’ she said.
The prime minister asked all concerned to find out which country needed what product through research and diversify export items in accordance with their demand.
‘We will no more limit us with only one readymade garment product for export as demand for the same product will not remain same all the time,’ she said.
She asked all to modify the design and fashion of the products to cope with the changing trends and desires for goods over the period.
The prime minister said that digital device or information communication technologies were in the highest demand across the globe.
‘If we can produce digital device more, we can export those,’ she added.
Apart from these, pharmaceuticals, leather and leather goods, jute and jute goods, agriculture and food processing items, fruits, frozen fishes including shrimp and crafts can be exported abroad, she said.
‘Jute is environment friendly and there is nothing which can’t be produced from jute,’ she said, adding that Bangladesh could earn huge foreign currencies exporting the jute items.
She went on saying a revolution was created in agriculture sector in Bangladesh.
‘Many agricultural products are being produced. We can export agriculture products abroad by diversifying those,’ she said.
Sheikh Hasina reiterated her call to pursue economic diplomacy alongside the political one to make the country financially solvent.
She said that her government had done massive development up to the villages aimed at increasing purchasing capacities of the grassroots people and their living standard.
‘There is huge demand of our produced goods in our local market as the purchasing capacities of the commoner have increased,’ she said.
Turning to the award recipients, she said that the recognition would encourage them more in export and thus they would make contribution to the national economy.
Among the award winning exporters, Rifat Garments Limited, in readymade garment woven category, received the highest recognition, the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Export Trophy, for highest export earnings in FY22.
The winning exporters received gold, silver and bronze awards. Some 28 firms were conferred gold awards, 27 silver and the rest 21 bronze awards.
State minister for commerce Ahasanul Islam Titu, the ministry’s Parliamentary Standing Committee chairman Tipu Munshi, commerce secretary Md Selim Uddin, Export Promotion Bureau vice-chairman Md Anwar Hossain and Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry president Mahbubul Alam, spoke on the occasion.
Rifat Garments director Sajid Azad expressed feelings on winning the highest recognition, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Export Trophy.
Deputy managing director of Picard Bangladesh Amrita Makin Islam expressed feelings on winning gold medal for highest export earnings in leather and leather goods category.
A documentary on export business was screened at the function.
