Publishers and books traders have urged the government to provide bank loan subsidies and policy assistance to help the book industry survive a severe crisis triggered by the massive increase in paper and printing costs.
The demand was raised by speakers at the 42nd Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Dhaka unit of the Bangladesh Pustak Prokashok o Bikreta Samity (BAPUS) Bangladesh Publishers and Booksellers Association. The meeting was held today at the Abdul Karim Sahitya Bisharad Auditorium of Bangla Academy.
Speakers at the AGM highlighted the immense struggle faced by entrepreneurs to maintain their traditional business amidst the sharp rise in the cost of living and soaring commodity prices.
They stressed that the government must offer direct subsidies for the publication of creative books, arguing that publishing is not merely a commercial venture but also a form of social service.
Professor Abul Kashem Fazlul Haque, Director General of Bangla Academy, was present as the Chief Guest.
He acknowledged that new scientific discoveries are changing people's reading habits, yet affirmed that reading books will remain a powerful medium for acquiring knowledge, necessitating the production of high-quality books.
He noted that newspapers are published in nearly 200 languages worldwide, highlighting the strong global position of the Bangla language.
He concluded that publishing good books will further strengthen the language, provided publishers and sellers maintain a clean and ethical approach to their business.
Dr. Muhammad Abdul Aziz, a renowned educationist and researcher, delivered the keynote speech and proposed two key initiatives to boost book sales:
One was to allocate stalls at Bangla Academy for a nominal fee to encourage smaller publishers to participate, and secondly urge publishers to take the initiative to organize free book fairs in the compounds of government bungalows and institutions across districts and Upazilas in the country.
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Dr. Aziz emphasized that increasing the number of book fairs would enhance public familiarity with books, cultivate new readers, and ultimately drive sales.
The event was presided over by the Acting President of BAPUS, Dhaka, Md. Nesar Uddin Howlader, and anchored by General Secretary S.M. Lutfor Rahman and Mahmud Hasan Biplob. Other speakers included BAPUS Central Executive Committee Vice-Presidents Mahmudul Hasan, Mohammad Golam Elahi Zahed, Muhammad Sazedul Islam, Md. Alamgir, Kazi Shah Alam, Sheikh Azizul Islam, and Mohammad Abu Sayeed.