Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday asked the private entrepreneurs to identify new market demands and trends across the world to diversify the country’s export items. “We’ve to find out through market research what new items we can produce to give a big boost to our exports…we need to focus on that,” she said. The Prime Minister said this while inaugurating Bangladesh Trade and Investment Summit 2021 at Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC). She joined the programme from her official residence Ganobhaban. Read: South Asian nations should work together: Hasina The Commerce Ministry and the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) jointly arranged the weeklong summit to mark the Mujib Year and the Golden Jubilee of the country’s Independence, aiming to connect traders and investors from around the world. Hasina said the exporters have to identify which country looks for what types of products, and the producers and manufacturers should think about producing those items. “I request business organisations, especially the private sector, to give due attention to this issue because, I think, we need to increase the number of items in our export basket,” she said. Hasina also mentioned that different countries have different demands. “Bangladesh is such a country where we can do (produce) anything, if we want…I’ve that confidence,” she said. Talking about Bangladesh’s geographical position, the Prime Minister said domestic and foreign investors can export their items to South Asian and South East Asian countries from here. “They’ll get opportunities to grab the markets in these countries and export items,” she said. Hasina mentioned that Bangladesh will become a bridge between the east and the west in the future. “This will help us flourish our trade and business further,” she said. Read: Vested quarters out there to tarnish Bangladesh’s image: Hasina