PM for product diversification to find new markets
Saturday, 2 January 2010
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Friday urged the country's industrialists and entrepreneurs for diversification of products in order to increase exports from Bangladesh, reports UNB.
Inaugurating the 15th Dhaka International Trade Fair (DITF)-2010 at the city' s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the morning, Hasina also expressed the hope that Bangladesh would be able to attain export target of US $17.60 billion in the 2009-'10 fiscal.
The Prime Minister said exports from Bangladesh were limited to a few number of products while scopes were enormous here for manufacturing other products at low prices.
"I urge the industrialists and entrepreneurs to make best use of the opportunity and produce diversified products to increase exports from the country."
The PM declared open the month-long international trade fair, which is scheduled to end on January 31. A total of 476 stalls and 28 pavillions have been set up in the fair where in exhibitors from home and abroad displayed their products.
Commerce Minister Faruk Khan, acting Commerce Secretary Mustafa Mohiuddin, Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) Vice Chairman Md Sahab Ullah and President of Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) Annisul Huq also spoke at the inaugural function.
The stalls and pavilions will remain open for the visitors from 10am to 10pm everyday.
Addressing the function as the chief guest, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also asked the country's manufacturers to ensure quality of their products to penetrate the expanding international markets.
She said only by ensuring employment for people, poverty could be alleviated and there was no alternative to industrialisation for creating employment opportunities.
"And I am giving you the assurance that the government will give all possible cooperation and assistance for setting up industries in the country," she told the industrialists and businessmen present at the function.
Hasina told the function that she and her government were fully aware about the problems facing the mills and factories of the country.
"Electricity crisis is the biggest obstacle to industrialisation in our country. You know during its 1996-2001 tenure, the Awami League (AL) government added some 2600 mw of electricity to the national grid," she said.
"But the next BNP-Jamaat alliance government in its five years did not add even a single megawatt (mw) of power to the grid," Hasina said adding: "During that time many power plants went out of order for lack of maintenance and repair as the power sector experienced unlimited corruption and looting."
She added: "Country's people now have to bear the consequences of the BNP-Jamaat alliance's failure and inefficiency."
The PM said that through hectic round-the-clock efforts, the present government since assuming the office had been successful to activate a new power plant having 727.5 mw of electricity and another power plant with capacity of 917 mw was expected to be functional from next June.
She further said the BNP-Jamaat alliance and the next two years' caretaker government also did not take any step to extract gas and coal for use in electricity generation.
"As we took steps, daily gas production in the country increased from 1764 MMCF to 1945 MMCF and now maximum 716 MMCF gas is being supplied for electricity generation."
Inaugurating the 15th Dhaka International Trade Fair (DITF)-2010 at the city' s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the morning, Hasina also expressed the hope that Bangladesh would be able to attain export target of US $17.60 billion in the 2009-'10 fiscal.
The Prime Minister said exports from Bangladesh were limited to a few number of products while scopes were enormous here for manufacturing other products at low prices.
"I urge the industrialists and entrepreneurs to make best use of the opportunity and produce diversified products to increase exports from the country."
The PM declared open the month-long international trade fair, which is scheduled to end on January 31. A total of 476 stalls and 28 pavillions have been set up in the fair where in exhibitors from home and abroad displayed their products.
Commerce Minister Faruk Khan, acting Commerce Secretary Mustafa Mohiuddin, Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) Vice Chairman Md Sahab Ullah and President of Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) Annisul Huq also spoke at the inaugural function.
The stalls and pavilions will remain open for the visitors from 10am to 10pm everyday.
Addressing the function as the chief guest, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also asked the country's manufacturers to ensure quality of their products to penetrate the expanding international markets.
She said only by ensuring employment for people, poverty could be alleviated and there was no alternative to industrialisation for creating employment opportunities.
"And I am giving you the assurance that the government will give all possible cooperation and assistance for setting up industries in the country," she told the industrialists and businessmen present at the function.
Hasina told the function that she and her government were fully aware about the problems facing the mills and factories of the country.
"Electricity crisis is the biggest obstacle to industrialisation in our country. You know during its 1996-2001 tenure, the Awami League (AL) government added some 2600 mw of electricity to the national grid," she said.
"But the next BNP-Jamaat alliance government in its five years did not add even a single megawatt (mw) of power to the grid," Hasina said adding: "During that time many power plants went out of order for lack of maintenance and repair as the power sector experienced unlimited corruption and looting."
She added: "Country's people now have to bear the consequences of the BNP-Jamaat alliance's failure and inefficiency."
The PM said that through hectic round-the-clock efforts, the present government since assuming the office had been successful to activate a new power plant having 727.5 mw of electricity and another power plant with capacity of 917 mw was expected to be functional from next June.
She further said the BNP-Jamaat alliance and the next two years' caretaker government also did not take any step to extract gas and coal for use in electricity generation.
"As we took steps, daily gas production in the country increased from 1764 MMCF to 1945 MMCF and now maximum 716 MMCF gas is being supplied for electricity generation."