The government has moved to formulate a comprehensive policy to facilitate the growth of motorbike industry in the country. A draft of the proposed policy is being prepared, officials said.
The Ministry of Industries (MoI) has formed a high-powered inter-ministerial committee in this regard. An additional secretary of the ministry is the convener of the eleven-member committee.
It will submit recommendations within next one month by reviewing and examining different proposals received in this connection. Necessary recommendations of the committee will be included in the draft policy, they mentioned.
According to the market players, motorcycles manufactured by Indian Bajaj Group are on the top position in Bangladesh market with more than 53 per cent share.
Some 69,747 bikes of the brand have been sold in the first seven months of the current fiscal year (July-January). Bajaj's popular products are Pulsar, Discover and Avenger.
Some other local and foreign brands, like - TVS Auto, Hero Honda, Dayang, Walton, Yamaha, Mahindra and Haojue, also have share in the country's motorbike market.
Nowadays, motorbike has become first choice for many office-goers and professionals in the country because of its size and affordable price.
Apart from fulfilling the individual transport needs, the two-wheeler has commercial value in the country's many areas. Thousands of unemployed rural people, mostly youth, use motorcycle as their main source of earning. They commercially carry passengers on narrow roads from one town or village to another.
But adequate road shortage stands in the way of using the vehicle, both the industry people and users said.
Earlier, the country's motorcycle assemblers and manufacturers stressed on the need for formulating an assembling and manufacturing policy in line with the international standard for the two-wheeler vehicle.
The suggestion came at a meeting between Bangladesh Tariff Commission (BTC) officials and local bike assemblers and producers in December. The meeting was arranged to know the stakeholders' opinions before making a policy in this connection.
Despite having immense potentials, the sale of motorbikes has been gradually decreasing here in compare to other neighboring countries due to many reasons, according to Bangladesh Motorcycles Assemblers' and Manufacturers' Association (BMAMA).
There is an obligation in the existing policy that the manufacturers will have to set up all kinds of machinery before producing the two-wheeler, but it is not possible for a single manufacturer to produce such machinery.
Entrepreneurs of the bike assembling and manufacturing sector can implement their manufacturing plan through various vendors to produce different machinery.
"Investors feel discouraged due to lack of a long-term policy for the motorbike industry. The sector will move forward, if the policy is formulated for long term," Runner Group Chairman Hafizur Rahman Khan told the FE on Tuesday.
He also hailed the government's move to form a high-powered committee to promote the country's growing motorbike industry.
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