Domestic industries, particularly the small and medium ones, are at great risk due to dumping of certain products being imported in connivance with unscrupulous customs officials and Pre-Shipment Inspection (PSI) companies, reports UNB.
Local manufacturers as well as officials raised the concern at a seminar in the city Monday, as they alleged that three big exporting countries are mainly dumping their products at less-than normal price in Bangladesh, pushing local industries on the verge of closure.
They demanded of the Bangladesh Tariff Commission to launch an anti-dumping investigation to prevent the exporters from dumping their products in the country.
They also suggested to get rid of the PSI companies who in connivance with the customs officials make way for under-invoicing, and thus put local products at a disadvantage against the imported goods.
Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) in association with the Tariff Commission organised the seminar at the DCCI auditorium to caution the local manufacturers about the industry-risk and take preparations in this regard.
"There's huge influx of products. We understand it's dumping, but we cannot take any action against the big brothers (exporting countries)," said DCCI President Hossain Khaled, without mentioning names.
His business colleague, Ashraf Ibn Noor, a former senior vice-president of DCCI, accused three big exporting countries of dumping, but preferred not to mention the names.
However, the manufacturers and business leaders alleged that mainly India, China and Thailand are dumping their products in the country.
They listed the worst-affected domestic products as electrical goods, agro-products, stationery items, cosmetics, furniture, watches, ceramics, melamine, bicycle and bicycle parts, plastic and plastic goods.
DCCI president also called upon the businesses to protect their industry, specially the import substitution ones, with the help of the government machinery to avert a possible setback of becoming a trade-dependent country and giving rise to terrorism. "We've to fight to protect our industry. Otherwise, we'll become a handful of traders," he warned.
Tariff Commission Chairman Syed Naquib Muslim assured the local manufacturers of all technical assistance from the Ministry of Commerce and the Tariff Commission to help protect the industry. "We want to protect local industry for production, in absence of which terrorism will rise in the country," he said, assuring more interactions with the trade bodies to fight the dumping challenge.
Former DCCI vice-president Syed Toufiq Ali, former director KMH Shahidul Huq and poultry feed producer Shamsunnahar informed the seminar how the local industries were suffering due to dumping.
Tariff Commission officials Rama Dewan and Mamun-Ur-Rashid Askari presented the keynote paper.
