Plastic sector entrepreneurs demanded a harassment-free business environment in the country caused of the visit of the government agencies.
They made the call at the first meeting of the FBCCI standing committee on Plastic, Rubber, Melamine and PVC Products held at FBCCI head office on Monday, said a media release.
In the meeting, businesses said, government agencies have not been renewing licenses of plastic products manufacturing factories since the fire incidents at Churihatta in the capital. As the factories are losing their legal validity, government organisations impose fines and sometimes even sue cases against the factory owners. Therefore, many small and medium industries have been shut off, the businessmen alleged.
Speaking as the chief guest, FBCCI Senior Vice President Mostofa Azad Chowdhury Babu said, the plastic industry contributes to employment, export earnings and industry decentralization across the country.
Mentioning the prediction of the global recession in 2023, he stressed expanding the export base to deal with the crisis.
Read: FBCCI keen to enhance trade ties with Brazil; two MoUs signed
FBCCI Vice President Md Amin Helaly said that FBCCI is planning to arrange three fairs in Kolkata, Guwahati and Tripura to showcase Bangladeshi products.
He suggested exhibiting the plastic products at those fairs. Bangladeshi plastic products have great demand in seven sisters of India.
The director in-charge of the committee Abu Motaleb said conspiracy is still going on against the plastic sector. The committee will work on solving tax and environmental problems, he informed.
He called for eco-friendly products as well.
Committee Chairman and President of BPGMEA Shamim Ahmed informed that waste management is the biggest challenge for the plastic sector. Bangladesh will be able to utilize the huge potential in this sector if the challenge is properly dealt with.
The BPGMEA President called for considering the deemed earnings as export to this sector.
FBCCI Director Priti Chakraborty urged the government to provide proper policy support in grooming this sector while director Hafez Harun demanded an end to harassment of the small and medium entrepreneurs in the plastic industry in the name of inspection.
Director Mohammed Bazlur Rahman called for working together to overcome the problems in the plastic sector.
Committee co-chairmen Md Shafiqul Islam (Mintu), Md Abul Khair and Nazmul Hossain, FBCCI Adviser Manzur Ahmed and other members of the committee, among others, were present at the meeting.