EPB re-introduces ODOP scheme for job creation, boosting export earnings

The Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) has re-introduced the One District One Product (ODOP) scheme, with a view to generating scope of employment and boosting export earnings of the country, officials said.
They said promoting at least one product would also help decentralise employment and ensure optimum utilisation of the untapped potentials of those products.
The then government in 2005 had taken steps to promote at least one product from each district, and wrote letters to deputy commissioners (DCs) in 2006, requesting them to provide name of potential products of their respective districts.
Later, the EPB got lists from the districts and initially selected 14 products as potential ones. The EPB, in first phase, finalised three products -- rubber, clay tally, attar and attar wood -- to conduct research, develop and promote export across the globe.
"With a view to making the districts of the country self-reliant through utilising their potentials, we have decided to select at least one item from each district for export worldwide," EPB Vice-Chairman Shubhashish Bose told the FE.
"Many countries of the world have increased their export volume through taking such initiatives and kept a balance between employment and development. We are optimistic that our initiative would also benefit us in the long run," he said.
"People across the country mostly used to make rush to the cities for job, implementation of the ODOP scheme would lower tendency and many people would get themselves employed locally," Mr Bose added.
The EPB has initially sanctioned Tk 6.0 million for research and development of the three products which were finally selected, an official to the rank of deputy director of EPB said.
"The ODOP concept would help reduce production cost of the items and also discover many products with export potentials that are hitherto less explored," the official said.
He said, "The selected products are being exported to a number of countries. However, we think if we could exclusively focus on developing new products, it would increase the country's export earnings manifold."
According to the source at EPB, right after the Second World War, Japan first initiated the 'one village one product' scheme and reaped optimum benefit from it. Later, Thailand, Malaysia and some other countries also took the same step and were benefited.
Expressing his hope, the source said, "There is a massive demand of local rubber and rubber products in overseas markets but due to lack of research and development initiatives, the entrepreneurs could not meet the buyers' demand; so we hope the government's initiative would add blessings to their fate."
"Besides, demand for clay tally has been increasing gradually in overseas markets especially in the European ones. Now we have planned to introduce the product to some other overseas markets by which a large number of neglected poor women would get job opportunity and would also be able to establish themselves in the society."
"Attar and attar wood are being exported mainly to the Muslim countries of the Middle East, but we have got a vast export opportunity of the items in some other countries also."
The EPB sources added that they would continue finding other potential products and would go to all districts in phases after completing research on and development of the three initially selected products.