Bicycle for export and local markets

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Slowly, Bangladesh is making more and more export earning items. Apart from readymade garments, it is earning foreign currency by exporting items like plastic goods and raw materials, handicrafts, leather products and more. Recently, it got a market for bicycle export. It was reported that export earning from bicycle increased by more than 18 per cent this year because of the European countries' interest in buying bicycles from non-traditional countries.

It is certainly a piece of good news for Bangladesh. As the importing countries find that manufacturing cost of bicycle in the countries like China and Taiwan is increasing, they are getting interested in the countries like ours, due to low cost of labour and manufacturing. It, however, hints that there is an increasing demand for our bicycle for its environment friendly and low cost characteristics. The government should give due attention to this growing export market and build the country's capacity to meet the demand.

At the same time, the government may encourage people to use bicycles in our roads, too. With its use, we can save foreign currency as well as help ease the traffic jams. It will also make us physically fit and help us save money as we will not have to buy fuel all the time. The economic impact of bicycles getting popular among the people would be tremendous. So the government should encourage the use of bicycles.

Rashed Chowdhury

Kalabagan

Dhaka