Speakers in a workshop emphasized adopting policy for plastic and light engineering as these products see a higher export growth along with increasing use of such products. They came up with remarks at a validation workshop to finalize the export roadmaps on plastic and light engineering sectors jointly organized by the ministry of commerce business initiative leading development (BUILD) in collaboration with IFC-WBG prepared the roadmaps. Tapan Kanti Ghosh, senior secretary, ministry of commerce attended the program as the chief guest. He said the ministry of commerce endorsed the projection of BUILD for the plastic sector roadmap to be the 40th largest exporter by 2030. READ: Speakers emphasise zero tolerance of corruption to encourage entrepreneurs In order to meet the target, he asked the stakeholders regarding the needs to support since the Government is keen to see higher export growth through relevant policy interventions. Tapan Kanti mentioned that Vietnam attracts a significant portion of foreign direct investment (FDI) enhancing its light engineering and bicycle export. After 2026 when Bangladesh will graduate from LDC status, the government will not extend cash subsidies but provide support in the forms of research, knowledge, logistics, and so on, he said. “Bangladesh needs to shift its product concentration to sectors like light engineering so that it can gradually move upwards in its industrialization pathway. As Bangladesh will upgrade from being the 43rd largest economy to 25-26th economy in 2030, greater FDI may be attracted and the ease of doing business may be gradually improved, along with proper factor analysis, the projected target for 2030 can be upgraded,” Tapan Kanti. READ: Kurigram sets an example in reducing child marriage: Speakers Refering different projections of the light engineering sector, Commerce Senior Secretary said considering the global export of 700 trillion, economic situation, supportive policies extended by the government and the target of perspective plan to be a developed country, there is a need for alternative projections. He suggested BUILD to revisit the target considering the global issues and economic development.

The government has drafted two roadmaps to boost the country’s annual export volume of agricultural goods to two billion US dollars within the next two fiscal years. A views-exchange meeting over the draft roadmaps was held at Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) auditorium in the city.  Agriculture Minister Dr Muhammad Abdur Razzaque was present at the event as the chief guest. A committee, formed by the Ministry of Agriculture in June last, prepared the two draft roadmaps -- one to boost the export of vegetables and fruits and another to raise the potato export. READ: Agricultural Loans in Bangladesh: Banks Offering Loans to Farmers and Farms The draft roadmaps identified some major barriers and placed a number of recommendations over boosting the export of vegetables, potato, fruits and processed agricultural goods. If the recommendations can be implemented, it would be possible to raise the export earnings from agricultural goods to US$ 1.634 billion in the current fiscal year (2021-22) and US$ 2 billion in the 2022-23 fiscal year, according to one of the roadmaps. Another roadmap states that it would be possible to export 80,000 tonnes of potato in 2022, 120,000 tonnes in 2023, 180,000 tonnes in 2024 and 250,000 tonnes in 2025. Addressing the function, Dr Razzaque said there is a huge potential of exporting vegetables, potato and fruits as Bangladesh has surplus production of different crops. “We want to export these surplus crops to all over the world.  So, the government has been working relentlessly to remove all the export barriers,” he said. Dr Razzaque, also a presidium member of ruling Awami League, expressed the hope that the agricultural export would go up further in the days to come. Presided over by Agricultural senior secretary Md Mesbahul Islam, the function was addressed, among others, by Director General of Department of Agricultural Marketing (DAM) Mohammed Yousuf and BARC executive chairman Dr Sheikh Mohammad Bakhtiar, Director General of the Department of Agricultural Extension Md Asadullah and Chairman of Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation Dr Amitabh Sarker. READ: Khagrachari: UCB gives Tk2.1 crore agricultural loan to 71 farmers DAM Deputy Director Dr Mohammad Razu Ahmed and Chief coordinator of BADC research cell Dr Md Rezaul Karim placed the two draft roadmaps at the event.