Inter-ministerial committee begins work on textile sector woes

An inter-ministerial committee formed to address the challenges facing Bangladesh's textile industry held its first meeting on Wednesday, with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman directing officials to consult all stakeholders and submit recommendations within a week, according to the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA).

The prime minister joined the meeting during the discussions, listened to the industry's concerns and assured participants that the government would take steps to ease the gas shortage that has been affecting industrial production, the association said.

He also instructed the committee to hold another meeting at the Prime Minister's Office within a week after consulting all relevant stakeholders to formulate recommendations for resolving the sector's longstanding problems.

The committee was constituted after a BTMA delegation, led by its president Showkat Aziz Russell, met the prime minister on July 22 and outlined a range of challenges confronting the country's textile industry.

At Wednesday's meeting, Commerce Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir said the government was committed to finding practical and sustainable solutions to the sector's problems.

BTMA President Showkat Aziz Russell presented the industry's key concerns, followed by detailed discussions between committee members and industry representatives.

The meeting was attended by Prime Minister's Economic and Planning Adviser Rashid Al Mahmud Titumir, Bangladesh Bank Governor Md Mostaqur Rahman, Acting National Board of Revenue (NBR) Chairman Ahsan Habib and other senior government officials.

The BTMA delegation also included Director Badsha Mia, former Vice-President Hossain Mehmud, former Director Md Mosharraf Hossain and former Director Raazeeb Haidar.

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