Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi has said Bangladesh is an agro-based economy so both businesses and government need to give emphasis on this sector including product diversification.

Moreover, “we need to strengthen our SMEs for better expansion of our economy,” he said.

Tipu Munshi came up with the remarks while addressing as the chief guest at the inaugural ceremony of the new extended office space of Dhaka Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DCCI) namely “DCCI Gulshan Centre” on Saturday.

The Commerce Minister also emphasized to work more to do better in all business indices to be competitive in the international market.

He said that the new extension of DCCI (DCCI Gulshan Centre) in the north side of the city is a reflection of its strength and he hoped that DCCI will be able to serve the business community more in the days to come.

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Jaim Uddin, president of Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FBCCI) said Bangladesh still lags behind in the logistic sector, but it is necessary to prioritize the logistic sector to attract foreign direct investment (FDI).

He said that removing traffic congestion in the Dhaka-Chittagong highway and ensuring faster services at the sea ports will help boost the economy.

Jasim also sought cooperation from Ministry of Commerce to strengthen Chamber bodies and associations of different sectors.

“In order to achieve the goal of becoming a developed country and face the challenges of LDC graduation we have to give more focus on different promising business sectors,” FBCCI president said.

He hoped that DCCI Gulshan Centre will extend better services not only to its own members but also to the overall business community.

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DCCI President Rizwan Rahman said that the main objective of establishing DCCI Gulshan Centre (own office space) is to provide wide ranging and faster membership services as well as disseminating business information to the business community.

He said the DCCI works for SMEs as this is the lifeline of our economy and to face the upcoming challenges of LDC graduation and economic growth we need to facilitate this sector.

DCCI’s senior vice president NKA Mobin, vice president Monowar Hossain and former Presidents of DCCI were also present during the opening ceremony.